SINCE 1828
undesirable
adjective
un·de·sir·able
| \ ˌən-di-ˈzī-rə-bəl
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Definition of undesirable
(Entry 1 of 2)
: not desirable : unwanted
undesirable side effects
undesirable
nounDefinition of undesirable (Entry 2 of 2)
: one that is undesirable
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Other Words from undesirable
Adjective
undesirability
\ ˌən-di-ˌzī-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē
\
noun
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noun
undesirableness
\ ˌən-di-ˈzī-rə-bəl-nəs
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noun
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noun
undesirably
\ ˌən-di-ˈzī-rə-blē
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adverb
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adverb
Examples of undesirable in a Sentence
Adjective
The drug has some undesirable side effects. This may have undesirable consequences. Frankly, it's an undesirable and unpleasant job.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Exacerbating these undesirable traits, the Ford uses dry clutches in the interest of efficiency. — Clifford Atiyeh, Car and Driver, "What You Need to Know about Ford's PowerShift Transmission Problems," 13 May 2019 Bad decisions produce undesirable consequences, which is why the U.S. needs to make wise decisions about its nuclear posture. — Michaela Dodge, National Review, "Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review Must Keep Us Safe," 19 Jan. 2018 But the National Weather Service issued a worrisome heat advisory for Sunday, saying the heat index may reach 105 degrees — a blend of undesirable heat with objectionable humidity. — Martin Weil, Washington Post, "Saturday was hot in the District, but it feel much hotter this week," 30 June 2018 The problem is that these powders and pills come at a hefty financial cost, and could have some unintended, undesirable consequences for your health. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "Keto Diet Pills and Supplements May Hurt Your Health and Waste Your Money," 16 Jan. 2019 There is also some evidence in humans to suggest that frequent use of cannabis can cause undesirable effects. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "How Does Cannabis Actually Affect Sex?," 25 Mar. 2019 The scientists theorized that the drug, which can constrict blood vessels, hung around and produced longer-lasting — and in this case undesirable — cardiac effects among the slow metabolizers. — Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, "Can Coffee Rev Up Your Workout? It May Depend on Your Genes," 21 Mar. 2018 Those five kinds of common seedling volunteer trees are all messy, undesirable species. — Neil Sperry, star-telegram, "Volunteering is great but 'volunteer' plants are a whole different story," 1 June 2018 Nine species of gut dwellers, though, never reappeared; instead, there were some undesirable species of bacteria that managed to take hold. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "Gut bacteria recover from antibiotics, but they may take six months," 28 Oct. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Those undesirables, with their poor-man gas cars, should be parking in the back anyway. — Jon Caldara, The Denver Post, "Caldara: In Colorado you’re still paying for rich folks to buy a luxury second car," 7 June 2019 Soon enough Como added bicycles and motorcycles and even random pedestrians to his list of undesirables. — Steven Winn, SFChronicle.com, "A loving family remembers the zeitgeist of Como the dog," 2 July 2018 Rohingya, treated as undesirables in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar and denied citizenship, used to flee by sea by the thousands each year until security in Myanmar was tightened after a surge of refugees in 2015 caused regional alarm. — Washington Post, "Rohingya refugees rescued after drifting at sea for 9 days," 21 Apr. 2018 The diversity lottery is full of immigrants picked by their governments, in order to get rid of undesirables. Bonkers. — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Is the World Done With Liberal Democracy?," 1 June 2018 Rohingya, treated as undesirables and denied citizenship in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, used to flee by sea by the thousands each year until security in Myanmar was tightened after a surge of refugees in 2015 caused regional alarm. — Zik Maulana, The Seattle Times, "Rohingya refugees rescued after drifting at sea for 9 days," 21 Apr. 2018 There, infertile women, resisters, and other undesirables (including a character played by Marisa Tomei) are enslaved and forced to clean up radioactive and toxic waste. — Christopher Wallenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "How Elisabeth Moss and company plan to carry ‘Handmaid’ forward," 19 Apr. 2018 Rohingya, treated as undesirables in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, used to flee by sea by the thousands each year until security in Myanmar was tightened after an upsurge of refugees in 2015 caused regional concern. — Washington Post, "Malaysia intercepts boat carrying Rohingya refugees," 3 Apr. 2018 Rohingya, treated as undesirables in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, used to flee by sea by the thousands each year. — Fox News, "Expert doesn't expect new Rohingya boat people exodus," 2 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'undesirable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for undesirable
undesirable
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of undesirable
: bad, harmful, or unpleasant : not worth having or getting : not desirable
See the full definition for undesirable in the English Language Learners Dictionary
undesirable
adjective
un·de·sir·able
| \ ˌən-di-ˈzī-rə-bəl
\
\
Kids Definition of undesirable
: having qualities that are not pleasing or wanted
an undesirable effect
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