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Synonyms

unsuitable

American  
[uhn-soo-tuh-buhl] / ʌnˈsu tə bəl /

adjective

  1. not suitable; inappropriate; unfitting; unbecoming.

unsuitable British  
/ ʌnˈsuːtəbəl, ʌnˈsjuːt- /

adjective

  1. 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

Other Word Forms

  • unsuitability noun
  • unsuitableness noun
  • unsuitably adverb

Etymology

Origin of unsuitable

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

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.

The United States told the WTO last December that it considers the principle "unsuitable for this era".

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

We were only legally able to limit the list as a result of Ms. Roth’s office raising whether some locations might be unsuitable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

She said a cooling system fitted in the mortuary was not working and was unsuitable anyway because of the size of the room.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

Williams, who is now 39 years old, first became eligible for youth offender parole in September 2024, at which time the Parole Board deemed him a threat to public safety and unsuitable for release.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2026

Huge swaths of forest were logged and cleared out, obliterating vast areas and rendering them unsuitable for panda habitat.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

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.