undesirable

[uhn-di-zahyuhr-uh-buhl]

adjective

1. not desirable or attractive; objectionable.

   undesirable qualities.

noun

1. a person or thing considered undesirable.

   a collection of malcontents and undesirables.

undesirable

/ ˌʌndɪˈzaɪərəbəl /

adjective

1. not desirable or pleasant; objectionable

noun

1. a person or thing that is considered undesirable

Other Word Forms

• undesirability noun
• undesirableness noun
• undesirably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of undesirable¹

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

Example Sentences

Perry, similarly, had faced an assortment of undesirable headlines in the last year.

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Might too much of a good thing also lead to undesirable consequences in the economy as well?

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The accusations of being unclean and the “nappy wig” comment are real classics among those that white girls use to paint Black women as unattractive, undesirable wrecks.

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But Hoover would be delighted to see Patel pushing the FBI back to its original mission: relentlessly persecuting people with funny names, foreign connections and undesirable opinions, and intimidating their domestic sympathizers into silence.

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Social mores are changing, with childlessness no longer viewed as unusual or undesirable.

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Related Words

• abominable 
• inadmissible 
• loathsome 
• objectionable 
• troublesome 
• unsatisfactory 
• unsavory 
• unwanted 
• unwelcome