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• uncalled-for
  uncalled-for

  adjective

  not called for; not required; superfluous; unwanted.
• uncalled for
  uncalled for

  Not justified, undeserved, as in That rude remark was uncalled for. [Early 1800s] Also see call for, def. 3.

uncalled-for

American  

[uhn-kawld-fawr] / ʌnˈkɔldˌfɔr /

adjective

1. not called for; not required; superfluous; unwanted.

2. unwarranted; unjustified; improper.

   an uncalled-for criticism.

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uncalled-for British  

/ ˌʌnˈkɔːldfɔː /

adjective

1. unnecessary or unwarranted

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uncalled for Idioms  

1. Not justified, undeserved, as in That rude remark was uncalled for. [Early 1800s] Also see call for, def. 3.

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Etymology

Origin of uncalled-for

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

Outside of the uncalled-for bullying, Jessel's sarcastic delivery, her eccentric fashions and her seemingly connected status in the New York fashion scene have really cemented her as a star in the making.

From Salon • Oct. 18, 2023

Better, but still bad: a $37 crabcake, mushy in some places and dry in others, with muddy-tasting crab lumps and an intermittent, uncalled-for spicy heat.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 24, 2022

It sounds like a deliberate and uncalled-for put-down.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2018

To have an indignant fight announcer congratulate an excited winner and then tell him to his face that he didn't think he won the fight was very unprofessional and uncalled-for commentary.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2017

Any other thing a person might eat—a banana, an egg, the bean called mangwansi, a piece of fire-blackened antelope flesh—was just the opposite, and its consumption was seen as a remarkable, possibly uncalled-for occasion.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver