unwarranted
Britishadjective
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lacking justification or authorization
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another word for unwarrantable
Explanation
When something is unwarranted it's not called-for under the given circumstances. For example, debating the merits of someone's talent is one thing, but calling them stupid is unwarranted. I thought the applause was unwarranted. After all, all the guy did was stand there and point for two hours. And when that lady started screaming? That was unwarranted, too: all I did was give her a flat. It was an accident! Think of it this way: when the police want to search your home, they have to get a "warrant" — a document that allows them to enter. To go into your home without a warrant would be unwarranted. A warrant is a kind of justification; without that justification, something could be called unwarranted.
Vocabulary lists containing unwarranted
The Devil's Arithmetic
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Dwight D. Eisenhower, "The Military-Industrial Complex" (1961)
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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 understanding the fantasy and accepting it are two different things, separated by a sea of unwarranted shame.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
The study states that the false belief has led "to negative consequences, including misinformed risk‐taking by those encountering snakes, unwarranted fear among snakebite victims, and inappropriate care delivered by misinformed or patient/family‐pressured medical professionals."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
If the facilities are federally owned, Zoley replied, there are “more protections from unwarranted litigation that infringes upon the activities of the ICE processing centers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
"Iran's demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire," it said.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
From Merle Tuve at the Carnegie Institution came a sharply worded warning to his boyhood friend “Ernie” about his tendency to jump to unwarranted conclusions before all the facts were in.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
