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Synonyms

undesirable

American  
[uhn-di-zahyuhr-uh-buhl] / ˌʌn dɪˈzaɪər ə bəl /

adjective

  1. not desirable or attractive; objectionable.

    undesirable qualities.

noun

  1. a person or thing considered undesirable.

    a collection of malcontents and undesirables.
undesirable British  
/ ˌʌndɪˈzaɪərəbəl /

adjective

  1. not desirable or pleasant; objectionable

"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

noun

  1. a person or thing that is considered undesirable

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of undesirable

First recorded in 1660–70; un- 1 + desirable

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.

But that’s only more reason to embrace “My Undesirable Friends.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

Du’s ruling in August 2021 was the first of its kind since Congress made it a crime almost a century ago to return to the U.S. after deportation under the Undesirable Aliens Act of 1929.

From Washington Times • May 22, 2023

His current project is the latest installment in the company’s interview-based, social-justice series Undesirable Elements, about Ukraine, set to have its premiere in May.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2023

But before the decade’s end, South Carolina Sen. Coleman Livingston Blease would orchestrate a new deal with employers that led to the Undesirable Aliens Act of 1929.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 9, 2023

Newborn, preschool children, and music: Undesirable consequences of thoughtless neglect.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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.