uncalled-for

[ uhn-kawld-fawr ]
See synonyms for uncalled-for on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not called for; not required; superfluous; unwanted.

  2. unwarranted; unjustified; improper: an uncalled-for criticism.

Origin of uncalled-for

1
First recorded in 1600–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use uncalled-for in a sentence

  • It may sound severe and uncalled-for from me, but every man who has forgotten his mother-tongue is tottering on his feet.

  • Nay, he had even made up his mind to give up altogether these uncalled-for visits.

    The Duel | A. I. Kuprin
  • His brothers and sisters were too fond of their step-mother to say how absurdly uncalled-for they thought this privilege.

    What Timmy Did | Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes
  • Podbury's mirth immediately subsides into gravity, and he kicks several unoffending chairs with quite uncalled-for brutality.

  • Young Darwin made no reply, and seemingly did not hear the uncalled-for chidings.

British Dictionary definitions for uncalled-for

uncalled-for

/ (ˌʌnˈkɔːldfɔː) /


adjective
  1. unnecessary or unwarranted

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with uncalled-for

uncalled-for

Not justified, undeserved, as in That rude remark was uncalled for. [Early 1800s] Also see call for, def. 3.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.