uncollectible

American  

[uhn-kuh-lek-tuh-buhl] / ˌʌn kəˈlɛk tə bəl /

Or uncollectable

adjective

1. that cannot be collected.

   an uncollectible debt.

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noun

1. something, as a financial obligation, that cannot be collected.

   an increase in the company's uncollectibles.

Etymology

Origin of uncollectible

un- ¹ + collect ¹ + -ible

Example Sentences

Paul was then surprised by Scaramucci, who told him about his plan for "collecting the uncollectible".

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

The company’s net charge-offs, which refer to the loans the bank has written off as uncollectible, increased 16% from the previous year to $185 million.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

The losses on subprime loans that are assumed to be uncollectible debt or charge-offs rose on average by some 20% by the third quarter of 2022 from 2019 levels, said Moody's.

From Reuters • Jan. 13, 2023

A different study, this one by Moody’s Investors Service, showed an average of 13 percent less uncollectible debt on unpaid hospital bills last year in Medicaid expansion states.

From Washington Times • Oct. 28, 2015

The Old Doctor bucked northwest blizzards, read Dickens and Byron, pulled people through typhoid, and left to Milt his shabby old medicine case and thousands of dollars—in uncollectible accounts.

From Free Air by Lewis, Sinclair