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.
That is, of course, totally improper and unacceptable.
From Slate • May 22, 2026
Speakers at Tuesday’s rally argued this was unacceptable.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
There’s a simple way to lower healthcare costs without requiring Americans to bear unacceptable trade-offs: prosecute Medicaid fraud and put the recovered funds back into citizens’ pockets.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN's nuclear agency, condemned the attack and said on X that "military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable".
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
That was unacceptable, even if he was concerned about my well-being.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
