undue
Americanadjective
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unwarranted; excessive.
undue haste.
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inappropriate; unjustifiable; improper.
undue influence.
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not owed or currently payable.
adjective
-
excessive or unwarranted
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unjust, improper, or illegal
-
(of a debt, bond, etc) not yet payable
Usage
The use of undue in sentences such as there is no cause for undue alarm is redundant and should be avoided
Etymology
Origin of undue
First recorded in 1350–1400, undue is from the Middle English word undewe. See un- 1, due
Explanation
When something isn't appropriate or justified, you can describe it as undue. For example, an undue delay in a hospital waiting room can be dangerous for someone with a bad injury. Something that's undue isn't warranted or, often, fair. The phrase "undue delay" is a common one, and it means that someone has to wait way too long for something, whether it's a building permit or a dentist appointment. The adjective has come to mean "excessive," from its original definition in the fourteenth century as literally "not owing" or "not payable."
Vocabulary lists containing undue
Wonder
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Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
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And Then There Were None
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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.
Her organisation, Undue Medical Debt, has paid off about $25bn of medical debt for almost 15 million people over the past decade, including Short's hospital bill from when he had pneumonia.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
“The birth of a child should be a joyful event focused on your growing family,” said Allison Sesso, CEO of Undue Medical Debt, a debt-relief nonprofit and charity.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 23, 2026
This program is not a scam: If the county has relieved your medical debt, you’ll be notified by a letter in the mail from Los Angeles County and Undue Medical Debt.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2025
If you’re experiencing financial hardship, you can use Form 1127, which is the Application for Extension of Time for Payment of Tax Due to Undue Hardship.
From Salon • Feb. 8, 2025
Undue conciseness often checks the flow of expression, while diffuseness is alike detrimental to a clear and precise exposition of our ideas.
From COSMOS: A Sketch of the Physical Description of the Universe, Vol. 1 by Humboldt, Alexander von
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.
