unacceptable
Britishadjective
-
not satisfactory; inadequate
the standard was wholly unacceptable
-
intolerable
hitting children is unacceptable
Explanation
Something unacceptable is not okay — it's objectionable or displeasing. Hey, are you yelling in the library? That's unacceptable! If a student's behavior is unacceptable, she may get detention or be sent to the principal's office. And if a restaurant patron's meal is unacceptable, he has every right to ask his server for something else. The adjective unacceptable adds the "not" prefix un- to acceptable, "suitable, adequate, or pleasing." We can trace the roots back to the Latin acceptare, "take or receive willingly."
Vocabulary lists containing unacceptable
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.
"It is absolutely unacceptable to block food supplies to regions where this is a highly sensitive issue and where people depend on these maritime routes," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
"Directing derogatory commentary toward youth who are actively working to better themselves and serve their communities is unacceptable," the organisation said.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
"This is an unacceptable shift away from, and abolition of, the policy that urged companies to shorten work hours," the National Confederation of Trade Unions in Tokyo, commonly known as Zenroren, said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
US officials made unacceptable "threats" to the French language and "Quebec culture" too, he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
The prospect of scrubbing a mission because a solar cell got dirty was unacceptable.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
