unsuitable

[ uhn-soo-tuh-buh l ]

/ ʌnˈsu tə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unsuitable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not suitable; inappropriate; unfitting; unbecoming.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

unsubstantial, unsubstantiated, unsubtle, unsuccess, unsuccessful, unsuitable, unsuited, unsullied, unsung, unsupervised, unsupportable

Origin of unsuitable

First recorded in 1580–90; un-¹ + suitable

Related formsun·suit·a·bil·i·ty, un·suit·a·ble·ness, nounun·suit·a·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unsuitable

Just three years after doctors cast it off as unsuitable, the IUD is reigning supreme.
Forget The Pill, IUD Is The New Queen of Birth Control|Sarah Kunst|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, Christian tradition has rejected many of these stipulations about unsuitable professions.
St. Hippolytus’ Careers Christians Should Never Have|Candida Moss|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One “gallant old doctor” says he finds it unsuitable she is in a mortuary.
Death Became Her: Molly Lefebure’s Wartime Years of Murder and Suicide|Tim Teeman|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Each was ruined or wrecked by some aspect of its location that made it unsuitable as a building site.
Swallowed By the Sea|Simon Winchester|March 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST

And many shows–even ones geared toward kids—are unsuitable for them.
Why the SAT's Reality TV Question is Good for Kids|Kyle Spencer|March 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
They are laying down the weapons they know best how to use, and adopting weapons so unsuitable that they only injure the users.
The Task of Social Hygiene|Havelock Ellis
Accustomed to riding, he was not a good pedestrian; his winter garments were unsuitable, and he was no longer blessed with youth.
The Red River Half-Breed|Gustave Aimard
Seeing me, a set and gloomy expression, most unsuitable to a bridegroom, changed to a look of actual fury.
Secret History Revealed By Lady Peggy O'Malley|C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
I recommended that two of these posts should be abolished, for they were unsuitable for defence purposes.
With the Judans in the Palestine Campaign|J. H. (John Henry) Patterson
But for many cases this method is unsuitable, and without chloroform we should indeed have been at a loss.
A Surgeon in Belgium|Henry Sessions Souttar

British Dictionary definitions for unsuitable

unsuitable

/ (ʌnˈsuːtəbəl, ʌnˈsjuːt-) /

adjective

not appropriate, suitable, or fit

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unsuitable

unsuitable

adj.

1590s, from un- (1) "not" + suitable. Related: Unsuitably; unsuitability.