un-American

[ uhn-uh-mer-i-kuhn ]

/ ˌʌn əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

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adjective

not American; not characteristic of or proper to the U.S.; foreign or opposed to the characters, values, standards, goals, etc., of the U.S.

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Origin of un-American

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20

OTHER WORDS FROM un-American

un-A·mer·i·can·ism, noun

Words nearby un-American

unalterable, unaltered, unambiguous, unambitious, unambivalent, un-American, Unami, Unamuno, unamused, unaneled, unanimity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use un-American in a sentence

Fluoride first entered an American water supply through a rather inelegant technocratic scheme.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Have you looked around the American Dental Association website for an explanation of how fluoridation actually works?
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
The best comparison here for an American audience is, well, Internet stuff.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Great American leaders have long contributed profound thoughts of tremendous consequence to the public discourse.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Sadly, it appears the American press often doesn't need any outside help when it comes to censoring themselves.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We prefer the American volume of Hochelaga to the Canadian one, although both are highly interesting.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
We can readily see how this might have been, from numerous experiments made with both American and European varieties.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
He was in early life a shipcarpenter, and subsequently American consul at Antwerp.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The difficulty of educating handlers of bills in distant places as to American credits.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
But you are English, or you are American; and men of those countries never misunderstand a woman, even if she is in trouble.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for un-American

un-American

adjective

not in accordance with the aims, ideals, customs, etc, of the US

against the interests of the US

Derived forms of un-American

un-Americanism, noun

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

Cultural definitions for un-American

un-American

A term used, primarily by extreme conservatives, to attack principles or practices considered to be at odds with the values of most Americans. Many object to the use of the term on the grounds that it is vague, shortsighted, and intolerant.

notes for un-American

The House of Representatives maintained a Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) for several years. It was especially known for investigation of alleged communists. (See Alger Hiss.)