adjective
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not comfortable
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feeling or causing discomfort or unease; disquieting
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of uncomfortable
First recorded in 1585–95; un- 1 + comfortable
Explanation
If it's very hot or very cold in the room, chances are you are going to feel uncomfortable or ill-at-ease. The word uncomfortable comes from the prefix un- meaning "not" and comfortable meaning "affording comfort." When something is uncomfortable, it doesn't allow you to relax. A hard chair can be uncomfortable. So can a tense situation in which two people are arguing. Someone can make you feel uncomfortable by saying something inappropriate.
Vocabulary lists containing uncomfortable
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
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un-
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un-
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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 films by the Japanese team, tackling uncomfortable subjects like disease and war crimes, receive new consideration with a set of Blu-rays from the Criterion Collection’s Eclipse line.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Wildfires, droughts and record-breaking heatwaves are making summer months increasingly uncomfortable and unpredictable across southern Europe.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Forecasters say this event isn’t only uncomfortable, it’s dangerous — with a high risk of heat-related illness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
With temperatures staying high overnight, the heat wasn't just uncomfortable, but deadly.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
They all knew what the almanac looked like; their miserably uncomfortable master seemed to mislay it with every full moon.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
