ungrammatical

adjective

un·​gram·​mat·​i·​cal ˌən-grə-ˈma-ti-kəl How to pronounce ungrammatical (audio)
: not following rules of grammar
an ungrammatical sentence
In another of his ipse dixit pronouncements, Webster condemned the adverbial use of adjectives in phrases like extreme cold, exceeding fine, and indifferent well as "very improper and ungrammatical."Edward Finegan
Surprisingly, even though it sounds ungrammatical, can't seem is accepted as a standard idiom that is no less awkward than saying "seems to be unable," …HarperCollins Publishers
Idioms are forms of expression approved by usage, but often ungrammatical and illogical.Simeon Potter
ungrammaticality noun

Examples of ungrammatical in a Sentence

the résumé and its ungrammatical cover letter were summarily thrown in the trash
Recent Examples on the Web And in general, the A.I. bots were useful for sharpening prose and cleaning up clunky, ungrammatical sentences. Brian X. Chen, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2023 That could be useful for conversations where telegraphic, ungrammatical messages would come off as impolite. Tom Simonite, Wired, 18 Oct. 2020 But to many Americans, the pronouns are ungrammatical and confusing. Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2019 The ungrammatical use of ellipses to convey a pause or . . . Lynda Robinson, Washington Post, 15 May 2018 None of that here in the pretentious, inauthentic speech of an ungrammatical kid. Toby Zinman, Philly.com, 11 June 2018 Yes, its ungrammatical slogan does not exactly roll off the tongue. Mark Lisanti, Vanities, 11 May 2018 That's when Zaydel fired back in ungrammatical English. Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press, 17 Oct. 2017 The Heart of Texas Facebook page is full of stilted, ungrammatical English. Tim Lister and Clare Sebastian, CNN, 5 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ungrammatical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ungrammatical was in 1654

Dictionary Entries Near ungrammatical

Cite this Entry

“Ungrammatical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ungrammatical. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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