unbecoming
Americanadjective
adjective
-
unsuitable or inappropriate, esp through being unattractive
an unbecoming hat
-
not proper or seemly (for)
manners unbecoming a lady
Related Words
See improper.
Other Word Forms
- unbecomingly adverb
- unbecomingness noun
Etymology
Origin of unbecoming
Explanation
Use the adjective unbecoming when a person does something that's awkward or inappropriate, like using foul language at your grandmother's tea party. Sometimes the word unbecoming means "unattractive," as in, "I loved the light blue dress, but I thought the yellow dress was rather unbecoming." Behavior that is unattractive, especially in a particular setting or with certain people, can also be unbecoming. It's unbecoming to burp loudly at the opera. If it's impolite or unseemly, it's unbecoming. The word stems from becoming, which means attractive or tasteful.
Vocabulary lists containing unbecoming
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
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"Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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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.
The secretary issued a “letter of censure” against Sen. Kelly “for conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline in the armed forces and conduct unbecoming an officer.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
We’ve become desensitized to the ritual by now, but slobbering over an elected official—of any stripe—is, and always will be, unbecoming.
From Slate • Mar. 8, 2025
In a statement released days before the vote, she said his past behaviour, "demonstrates a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces".
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2025
When they struggled, so did I. But mostly, when they made mistakes unbecoming of their role model image, I dutifully took it upon myself to defend them from criticism.
From Salon • Sep. 14, 2024
“It is unbecoming to a soldier, all this book-learning,” Pickett said haughtily.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
