unsuitable

adjective un·suit·able \ ˌən-ˈsü-tə-bəl \

Definition of unsuitable

:not fitting or right for a use or purpose :not suitable

an unsuitable choice

unsuitable topics for conversation

—

unsuitability

play \ˌən-ˌsü-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

- unsuitability for the job

—

unsuitably

play \ˌən-ˈsü-tə-blē\ adverb

- unsuitably dressed

See unsuitable defined for English-language learners

See unsuitable defined for kids

Recent Examples of unsuitable from the Web

In 1957, a study concluded that the old streetcar area was unsuitable for automobile traffic.

— karen farkas, cleveland.com, "Veterans Memorial Bridge subway tour will be Aug. 19," 31 July 2017
The first round will be played Friday at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate, which experienced flooded fairways after the rain, making the course unsuitable for play, according to tournament officials.

— sam mcdowell, kansascity, "Digital Ally Open first round postponed to Friday," 27 July 2017
In China, the Great Firewall has long blocked content deemed by the Communist Party to be unsuitable for general consumption.

— Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 25 July 2017
But the land Bell selected turned out to be unsuitable for helicopter landings, prompting the company to search for another location, said Ryan Martin, the company’s real estate manager.

— ryan osborne, star-telegram, "Bell Helicopter listens to Keller complaints, but flight path unlikely to change," 21 June 2017
The process has time constraints because organs can begin deteriorating immediately, some becoming unsuitable for transplantation after 30 minutes.

— CBS News, "Child organ donor's death under investigation by Los Angeles police," 13 June 2017
Trump, the vulgar showman, is perhaps the most (publicly) unsuitable personality to inhabit the White House in the modern era.

— john kass, Twin Cities, "John Kass: Will flaying Trump bring us to normalcy?," 1 June 2017
Unfortunately for Dubai’s builders and real-estate developers, desert sand is also unsuitable for construction and, indeed, for almost any human use.

— david owen, The New Yorker, "The World Is Running Out of Sand," 29 May 2017
Research published last year by the University of Delaware found that more than half of the current Adélie habitat could be unsuitable for penguin colonies by the end of the century.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "3.6 Million More Penguins Live in Antarctica Than Thought," 15 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unsuitable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unsuitable

circa 1586

unsuitable Synonyms

UNSUITABLE Defined for Kids

unsuitable

adjective un·suit·able \ ˌən-ˈsü-tə-bəl \

Definition of unsuitable for Students

:not fitting :inappropriate

unsuitable clothing

unsuitable behavior

Learn More about unsuitable

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unsuitable Spanish Central: Translation of unsuitable Nglish: Translation of unsuitable for Spanish speakers

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unsuitable

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unsuitability

unsuitably

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UNSUITABLE Defined for Kids

unsuitable

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unsuitability

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