inordinate

adjective

in·​or·​di·​nate in-ˈȯr-də-nət 

-ˈȯrd-nət

1

: exceeding reasonable limits : immoderate

2

archaic : disorderly, unregulated

inordinately adverb

inordinateness noun

Did you know?

Although today it describes something that exceeds reasonable limits, inordinate used to be applied to what does not conform to the expected or desired order of things. That sense, synonymous with disorderly and unregulated, is no longer in use, but it offers a hint as to the origins of inordinate. The word traces back to the Latin verb ordinare, meaning “to arrange,” combined with the negating prefix in-. Ordinare is also the ancestor of such English words as coordination, ordain, ordination, and subordinate. The Latin root comes from the noun ordo, meaning “order” or “arrangement,” from which the English word order and its derivatives originate.

Synonyms

• baroque
• devilish
• excessive
• exorbitant
• extravagant
• extreme
• fancy
• immoderate
• insane
• intolerable
• lavish
• overdue
• overextravagant
• overmuch
• overweening
• plethoric
• steep
• stiff
• towering
• unconscionable
• undue
• unmerciful

Choose the Right Synonym for inordinate

excessive, immoderate, inordinate, extravagant, exorbitant, extreme mean going beyond a normal limit.

excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.

excessive punishment

immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.

immoderate spending

inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.

inordinate pride

extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.

extravagant claims for the product

exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.

exorbitant prices

extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.

extreme shyness

Examples of inordinate in a Sentence

I waited an inordinate amount of time.

They have had an inordinate number of problems with the schedule.

Recent Examples on the Web

That's a curious shortfall for an all-business laptop that will likely spend an inordinate amount of time fielding Zoom calls. —PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024

Spending an inordinate amount on how to spend even more money seems excessive and unwarranted. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024

This time around retail investors seem poised to do the same thing, but perhaps less so because of an internet trend and more so because of a presidential candidate who inspires inordinate amounts of loyalty among his followers. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024

Betts hasn’t played shortstop regularly since high school and he’s tried to compensate for that by taking an inordinate amount of grounders every day. —Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024

Since the first weeks of the brutal war in the Gaza Strip, Washington has devoted an inordinate amount of attention to the idea that reforming the Palestinian Authority (PA) is an essential part of any postwar governance in the territory. —Raja Khalidi, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2024

Lawson and Davis also raised concerns that the county would shoulder an inordinate funding burden. —Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024

That’s because police vehicles spend an inordinate amount of time idling, and the hybrid can maintain climate control and without running the engine, releasing emissions and using expensive gasoline. —Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024

No doubt about it, these tech giants are doing an inordinate amount of the market’s heavy lifting. —Frank Holmes, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English inordinat, from Latin inordinatus, from in- + ordinatus, past participle of ordinare to arrange — more at ordain

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

inordinate

adjective

in·​or·​di·​nate in-ˈȯrd-ᵊn-ət 

-ˈȯrd-nət

: going beyond reasonable limits : immoderate

an inordinate curiosity

inordinately adverb