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.
Lawyers for the government argued this would breach transgender prisoners' human rights and create an unacceptable risk of suicide.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
Israel's ambassador to France called the French authorities' treatment of Israeli companies unacceptable.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
Rodrigues de Freitas' death "makes the continuation of this omission unsustainable and unacceptable", the statement continued.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
The proposal, he added, would not cause "unacceptable harm to the countryside" and had "unprecedented" support from residents.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
All of the people involved in the film were equally unacceptable.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
