un-American

American  

[uhn-uh-mer-i-kuhn] / ˌʌn əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

adjective

1. 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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un-American British  

adjective

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

2. against the interests of the US

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un-American Cultural  

1. 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.

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Discover More

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.)

Other Word Forms

• un-Americanism noun

Etymology

Origin of un-American

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20

Example Sentences

But one day a close friend upbraided me for shunning Black Friday, insisting that such antisocial tightfistedness was inherently un-American.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Finding a scapegoat for the Palisades fire is un-American,” said Haney, who is well known for representing sports figures in criminal proceedings.

From Los Angeles Times

“Targeting people solely based on the color of their skin is unacceptable and un-American.”

From Los Angeles Times

Following the crash, Special US Envoy Richard Grenell met with a group of Sikh representatives in Sacramento and took to social media to decry verbal attacks against Sikhs as "un-American" behavior.

From BBC

"It just seems to me that it's un-American to not fight for our American manufacturers, producers and workers to simply have an even playing field," he said.

From BBC