unaccountable
Americanadjective
-
impossible to account for; unexplained; inexplicable.
The boat has an unaccountable tendency to yaw.
- Synonyms:
- unintelligible, mysterious, inscrutable, incomprehensible
-
exempt from being called to account; not answerable.
As a subordinate, he is unaccountable for errors in policy.
- Synonyms:
- irresponsible, unanswerable
adjective
-
allowing of no explanation; inexplicable
-
puzzling; extraordinary
an unaccountable fear of hamburgers
-
not accountable or answerable to
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unaccountable
First recorded in 1635–45; un- 1 + accountable
Explanation
People, especially those in leadership positions, are described as unaccountable when they behave as though they don't need to explain themselves, answer to anyone else, or take responsibility for their actions. We often complain about the need for "accountability" when our leaders spend our money, oversee our wars, or make confusing new laws without explaining to us what's going on. If there's nothing in place to keep them from being corrupt, we say that they are "unaccountable." Another interesting definition of unaccountable is "unexplainable." Crop circles, Big Foot sightings, and unidentified flying objects are mysterious and unaccountable.
Vocabulary lists containing unaccountable
"The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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The Time Machine
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The Awakening
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2017, Bishop Jones published The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power report which aimed to ensure "the pain and suffering of the Hillsborough families is not repeated".
From BBC • Sep. 15, 2023
The event is calling for measures recommended in Bishop James Jones's 2017 report on the experiences of the Hillsborough families - 'The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power' - to be put into law.
From BBC • Jan. 6, 2022
Unaccountable nosebleeds and sleepwalking stints spiral into wild conspiracy theories involving alien abduction and cloning.
From The Guardian • Mar. 8, 2020
Dr. Marty Makary, a surgeon at The Johns Hopkins Hospital whose book "Unaccountable" calls for greater transparency in health care, said the James estimate shows that eliminating medical errors must become a national priority.
From Scientific American • Sep. 20, 2013
Unaccountable emotions, strange desires, and morbid sensual irritations of all kinds, were as prevalent as in the St. Vitus’s dance and similar great nervous maladies.
From The Black Death The Dancing Mania by Babington, B. G. (Benjamin Guy)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
