unceremonious

American  

[uhn-ser-uh-moh-nee-uhs] / ˌʌn sɛr əˈmoʊ ni əs /

adjective

1. discourteously abrupt; hasty; rude.

   He made an unceremonious departure in the middle of my speech.

2. without ceremony or formalities; informal.

---

unceremonious British  

/ ˌʌnsɛrɪˈməʊnɪəs /

adjective

1. without ceremony; informal, abrupt, rude, or undignified

---

Other Word Forms

• unceremoniously adverb
• unceremoniousness noun

Etymology

Origin of unceremonious

First recorded in 1590–1600; un- ¹ + ceremonious

Example Sentences

Jack dispensed with the card entirely and scrounged up only $2 from his room, which he handed to Finn with an unceremonious “here.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

Before its unceremonious and sudden closure, Spinkles company leadership had pushed to diversify its business as part of a strategy to recover from a pandemic-era lull.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026

Nancy's laidback arrival - spending just 15 minutes talking with Martin O'Neill before ripping up everything O'Neill had done to stabilise things - was in stark contrast to the unceremonious manner of his exit.

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026

In the ’90s, Kilmer came close to such unceremonious dismissals.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2025

With an unceremonious yank, she pulled off the covering and tossed it aside.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia