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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.
Synonyms

uncalled-for

American  
[uhn-kawld-fawr] / ʌnˈkɔldˌfɔr /

adjective

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

  2. unwarranted; unjustified; improper.

    an uncalled-for criticism.
uncalled-for British  
/ ˌʌnˈkɔːldfɔː /

adjective

  1. unnecessary or unwarranted

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
uncalled for Idioms  

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

Etymology

Origin of uncalled-for

First recorded in 1600–10

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.