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
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ˌən-di-ˌzī-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē
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noun
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noun
undesirableness
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ˌən-di-ˈzī-rə-bəl-nəs
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noun
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noun
undesirably
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Another incident that proves undesirable, frustrating or infuriating very well could result in another costly eruption.
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Mike Jones, USA TODAY, "Opinion: If Bucs' Antonio Brown wants to repair his legacy, he must understand he brought problems on himself," 3 Feb. 2021
Scientists had believed that this coronavirus wasn’t as changeable as other viruses, but that belief was upended as the virus mutated quickly — setting up a race to stomp it out before more undesirable mutations arise.
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Erin Allday, SFChronicle.com, "Coronavirus variants will prolong the pandemic. But here’s how it will end," 23 Jan. 2021
Mayor Judy Ritter opposed the approval of any additional 24-hour detox centers within the city limits, but Melendez and other council members said the special use permit would allow the council to reject undesirable projects.
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Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "New Vista Councilwoman Melendez vows to speak for the unheard," 8 Dec. 2020
Fortunately, our understanding of human mind genome, as it might be termed, had become advanced enough to appreciate distress as an undesirable state.
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Lettie Prell, Wired, "The Future of Work: ‘Collaborative Configurations of Minds’ by Lettie Prell," 4 Dec. 2020
These massive die-offs create room for harmful bacteria to set up camp, which triggers our bodies’ immune response in the form of nasty-looking, undesirable inflammation or irritation.
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Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, "The Ten Best Science Books of 2020," 27 Nov. 2020
One melancholy day, her mother, bloated by chocolate truffles, oyster purée, and cold pheasant, feeling fat and listless and undesirable, had lain on top of a machine.
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Merve Emre, The New Yorker, "How Leonora Carrington Feminized Surrealism," 21 Dec. 2020
The pandemic has brought a jolt of interest to systems that go beyond filtering undesirable particles out of the air.
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Katy Mclaughlin, WSJ, "Clean Air: The Next Luxury Apartment Perk," 9 Dec. 2020
Statistics show that women of color are more likely to face undesirable outcomes in their pregnancies for reasons that public health experts are trying to understand.
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The New York Times, New York Times, "A Year Like No Other," 8 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The attention of his fear was undesirables, including Jews.
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James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska legislator compares pandemic safety measures at Capitol to Nazi treatment of Jews," 16 May 2020
This amazing little machine fights pollutants, mold, dander, and other airborne undesirables with technology that works at the molecular level.
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Tony Vaz, Popular Science, "Small but powerful air purifiers," 9 Mar. 2020
The Constitution protects desirables and undesirables alike.
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Phil Gramm And Michael Solon, WSJ, "The Plot to Politicize Banking," 14 Jan. 2020
Gaiters have been around for centuries, helping people from Anglican deacons to range-riding cowboys prevent dirt, dust, pebbles, twigs bugs, snow, and other undesirables from entering shoes and boots or traveling up pants legs.
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The Editors, Field & Stream, "Three Things to Know Before You Buy Gaiters," 8 Jan. 2020
Limited national resources are to be reserved for the French and the French only, as a witch-hunt against refugees, Jews, and other undesirables consumes the country.
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Harrison Stetler, The New York Review of Books, "‘Collapsologie’: Constructing an Idea of How Things Fall Apart," 21 Jan. 2020
Moreover, the practice of creating lists of political undesirables could be adopted on both sides of the aisle.
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Phil Gramm And Michael Solon, WSJ, "The Plot to Politicize Banking," 14 Jan. 2020
Even a requirement, to be introduced in 2021, for visa-free entrants to the EU to pre-register online (to weed out undesirables) is a deterrent for some would-be purchasers.
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The Economist, "Testing times ahead for the booming passports trade," 31 Dec. 2019
For Lodge and others anxious to restrict immigration, Eastern European Jews were definitely among the undesirables.
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Adam Hochschild, The New Yorker, "When America Tried to Deport Its Radicals," 4 Nov. 2019
See MoreThese 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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Last Updated
22 Feb 2021
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Cite this Entry
“Undesirable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undesirable. Accessed 2 Mar. 2021.
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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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Time Traveler for undesirable
The first known use of undesirable was in 1667
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