unaccountable
Americanadjective
-
impossible to account for; unexplained; inexplicable.
The boat has an unaccountable tendency to yaw.
- Synonyms:
- unintelligible, mysterious, inscrutable, incomprehensible
-
exempt from being called to account; not answerable.
As a subordinate, he is unaccountable for errors in policy.
- Synonyms:
- irresponsible, unanswerable
adjective
-
allowing of no explanation; inexplicable
-
puzzling; extraordinary
an unaccountable fear of hamburgers
-
not accountable or answerable to
Other Word Forms
- unaccountability noun
- unaccountableness noun
- unaccountably adverb
Etymology
Origin of unaccountable
First recorded in 1635–45; un- 1 + accountable
Explanation
People, especially those in leadership positions, are described as unaccountable when they behave as though they don't need to explain themselves, answer to anyone else, or take responsibility for their actions. We often complain about the need for "accountability" when our leaders spend our money, oversee our wars, or make confusing new laws without explaining to us what's going on. If there's nothing in place to keep them from being corrupt, we say that they are "unaccountable." Another interesting definition of unaccountable is "unexplainable." Crop circles, Big Foot sightings, and unidentified flying objects are mysterious and unaccountable.
Vocabulary lists containing unaccountable
"The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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The Time Machine
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The Awakening
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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 in recent filings to state officials, fire victims and consumer advocates say the law has gone too far and made the utilities’ unaccountable for their mistakes, leading to even more fires.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026
Yet here, a single unaccountable administrator effectively outlawed an entire way of life for responsible therapists, guides and small businesses in Hawaii.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
This discrepancy in power between employer and employee allows the boss to be almost entirely unaccountable for their decisions — decisions that have a direct impact on the livelihoods of everyone employed in an enterprise.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2025
They’re not wildly unaccountable, they are a part of the government.
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025
It is only in the unaccountable minority, the “cases,” that the line is crossed, and then there is the devil to pay on both sides, but most of all for the meningococci.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
