unfit
Americanadjective
-
not fit; not adapted or suited; unsuitable.
He was unfit for his office.
- Synonyms:
- unapt, inappropriate
-
unqualified or incompetent.
- Synonyms:
- incapable
-
not physically fit or in due condition.
-
Biology. pertaining to an organism or population that is not adapted to prevailing conditions or is not producing offspring in sufficient numbers to maintain its contribution to the gene pool of the next generation.
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
unqualified, incapable, or incompetent
unfit for military service
-
unsuitable or inappropriate
the ground was unfit for football
-
in poor physical condition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unfit
Explanation
If someone is unfit, they're not qualified. You're unfit for a job as an ice cream truck driver if your only driving experience has been steering a bumper car at an amusement park. Farmland can be described as unfit for planting if it's been leached of nutrients, and a babysitter might be accused of being unfit if he gets distracted and loses track of his charges on the playground. In either case, the unfit thing or person doesn't meet the necessary requirements or standards. Another way to be unfit is to be out of shape or in poor physical condition. Fit can mean both "suitable" and "in good shape."
Vocabulary lists containing unfit
Way Off: Synonyms for "Wrong"
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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.
However, she was placed under review after her sickness absence increased and she lost her job last October, after being told she was unfit to work.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
But the court was told that while he was telling some employers he was sick and unfit to work because of "mixed anxiety and depressive disorder" he was not giving sick notes to other employers.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Software that can’t operate in a segmented network will soon be unfit for federal use, and agencies are writing this requirement into future contracts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Unsheltered” people live outdoors, in cars, in abandoned buildings, or in other places deemed unfit for human habitation, HUD says.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Bryn Mawr had done what a four-year dose of liberal education was designed to do: unfit her for eighty percent of the useful work of the world.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
