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You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
TAKE THE QUIZunseaworthy
adjective
un·sea·wor·thy
ˌən-ˈsē-ˌwər-t͟hē 
: not fit for a sea voyage : not seaworthy
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Some 2,500 boarded unseaworthy boats last year for the journey, and as many as 400 of them died, making 2022 one of the deadliest years in a decade for Rohingya escaping Cox’s Bazar.
—
Paula Hancocks, CNN, 4 Jan. 2023
Charity ships say rescuing migrants from flimsy, unseaworthy smuggling boats, or in many cases straight from the water, is their legal obligation.
—Colleen Barry And Renata Brito, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Nov. 2022
The Äpplet served in Europe’s Thirty Years’ War and then was deliberately sunk in 1659 after being deemed unseaworthy.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 29 Oct. 2022
The Spanish charity Open Arms has rescued 372 people seeking to cross the central Mediterranean to Europe in unseaworthy smugglers' boats and recovered the corpse of a man who had been shot by smugglers, officials said Sunday.
—Petros Karadijas, ajc, 18 Sep. 2022
Carman denied doing anything to intentionally make the boat unseaworthy.
—Washington Post, 10 May 2022
If cargo interests, however, can prove that the vessel was unseaworthy — that is, there was a mechanical failure, or an incompetent crew, among other reasons — the claims for General Average will fail, and cargo owners will not have to pay.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2022
For the British government the pressing issue is its failure to curb the arrival of a small but steady flow of people making dangerous, sometimes fatal, crossings, often on unseaworthy boats, across the English Channel from France.
—New York Times, 14 Apr. 2022
The two have collaborated on previous rescue missions of migrants fleeing Syria by crossing the Med on unseaworthy boats, and Solidaire has also transported African migrants in other crises.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2022
See More
Paula Hancocks, CNN, 4 Jan. 2023
Charity ships say rescuing migrants from flimsy, unseaworthy smuggling boats, or in many cases straight from the water, is their legal obligation.
—Colleen Barry And Renata Brito, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Nov. 2022
The Äpplet served in Europe’s Thirty Years’ War and then was deliberately sunk in 1659 after being deemed unseaworthy.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 29 Oct. 2022
The Spanish charity Open Arms has rescued 372 people seeking to cross the central Mediterranean to Europe in unseaworthy smugglers' boats and recovered the corpse of a man who had been shot by smugglers, officials said Sunday.
—Petros Karadijas, ajc, 18 Sep. 2022
Carman denied doing anything to intentionally make the boat unseaworthy.
—Washington Post, 10 May 2022
If cargo interests, however, can prove that the vessel was unseaworthy — that is, there was a mechanical failure, or an incompetent crew, among other reasons — the claims for General Average will fail, and cargo owners will not have to pay.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2022
For the British government the pressing issue is its failure to curb the arrival of a small but steady flow of people making dangerous, sometimes fatal, crossings, often on unseaworthy boats, across the English Channel from France.
—New York Times, 14 Apr. 2022
The two have collaborated on previous rescue missions of migrants fleeing Syria by crossing the Med on unseaworthy boats, and Solidaire has also transported African migrants in other crises.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unseaworthy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
First Known Use
1820, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near unseaworthy
Cite this Entry
“Unseaworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unseaworthy. Accessed 9 Feb. 2023.
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