unacceptable
Britishadjective
-
not satisfactory; inadequate
the standard was wholly unacceptable
-
intolerable
hitting children is unacceptable
Explanation
Something unacceptable is not okay — it's objectionable or displeasing. Hey, are you yelling in the library? That's unacceptable! If a student's behavior is unacceptable, she may get detention or be sent to the principal's office. And if a restaurant patron's meal is unacceptable, he has every right to ask his server for something else. The adjective unacceptable adds the "not" prefix un- to acceptable, "suitable, adequate, or pleasing." We can trace the roots back to the Latin acceptare, "take or receive willingly."
Vocabulary lists containing unacceptable
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 League of Arab States joined the chorus, calling the attack "an unacceptable transgression".
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Launching an "urgent" investigation, Dr Martin Mansfield, deputy chief medical officer at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said that any unauthorised access of patient data was "completely unacceptable".
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
“Animal cruelty is unacceptable, and when animals are held for unnecessary periods, this puts a roadblock to their recovery,” said Assemblymember Haney in a statement provided by Social Compassion in Legislation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Perpetual said its board still believed the proposal undervalued the company, and flagged several assumptions by Windflower that it said raised unacceptable risks over whether the transaction would succeed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
I replied that the plan was unacceptable and that I wanted to be released a week hence and at Victor Verster, not Johannesburg.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
