undesirable
Americanadjective
noun
-
undesirables
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of undesirable
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.
See Examples For:
A wave of artificial-intelligence adoption has come with an undesirable side effect: An explosion of cyberthreats.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026
However, those additives remain behind after drying and can change the behavior of the printed material, which is undesirable for many advanced applications.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
They can align government, industry and society toward a single technological objective through instruments that are unavailable and undesirable in a democracy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The Lancaster University academic has long believed that babies, who were "undesirable" in the mass drive for adoption in the post-war era, were in line for even worse treatment.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
So long as defeat meant the loss of independence, or some other result generally held to be undesirable, the precautions against defeat had to be serious.
From "1984" by George Orwell
The skin barrier does more than just keeping undesirables out––it also is crucial for keeping certain essentials, like water, in.
From National Geographic ● Nov. 28, 2023
But he’s no friendly face, having lost faith in the Jedi Order and palling around with some of the galaxy’s largest undesirables other than the evil Empire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2023
Mints are frequent offenders, and they top many gardeners’ lists of undesirables.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 29, 2023
Trans people are not undesirables from whom society must be protected, but free and equal human beings.
From Slate ● Mar. 3, 2021
My mother is currently associating with some undesirables who are attempting to transform her into an athlete of sorts, depraved specimens of mankind who regularly bowl their way to oblivion.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
