adjective
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not comfortable
-
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.
And perhaps there’s an uncomfortable lesson here for customers, too.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Your shoes shouldn’t hurt or feel uncomfortable either during or after physical activity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
So most audiences will automatically be put into the purposefully uncomfortable position of siding with people they would never see themselves inclined to agree with.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
In early images released by A24 Holmes is shown maintaining intense, unnerving eye contact with Fielder, scenes that made even him "uncomfortable," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
“All right, then. But for sure today. I’m really getting uncomfortable about keeping secrets from them. And I want your parents to set up a proper account for you.”
From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen
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.
