unbecoming
Americanadjective
adjective
-
unsuitable or inappropriate, esp through being unattractive
an unbecoming hat
-
not proper or seemly (for)
manners unbecoming a lady
Synonym Usage
See improper.
Other Word Forms
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.
“Being punitive in this environment is a scary thing, and unnecessary and unbecoming of a mayor who should be bringing people together.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
“It’s unbecoming of the office in which you represent.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025
Rather than being reported to the police the incident was recorded as "inappropriate behaviour unbecoming of a warrant officer".
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025
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
Quintilian goes on to argue, interestingly, that sometimes what might be decorous in practical terms could be unbecoming sub specie aeternitate.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
