undue

adjective

un·​due ˌən-ˈdü 

-ˈdyü

1

: not due : not yet payable

2

: exceeding or violating propriety or fitness : excessive

undue force

Synonyms

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

Examples of undue in a Sentence

These requirements shouldn't cause you any undue hardship.

His writing is elegant without calling undue attention to itself.

Recent Examples on the Web

This magazine’s own Roger Angell shifted that mode into unapologetic fandom, in which the point was not to be an insider at all but to watch from a perspective as bemused and engaged as that of Henry James watching Daisy Miller—empathy without undue explication. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

This solution gives credit where credit is due without calling undue attention (or praise) to the former boss. —Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024

That would cause undue pain because high rates slow the economy. —Stan Choe, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024

Meantime, concerns within the council are growing that some of the political blocs that named each member are positioning themselves to wield undue power and influence after they are officially installed. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. —Sacramento Bee, 27 Mar. 2024

Xi emphasized Wednesday the mutually beneficial economic ties between the world’s two largest economies, despite heavy U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports and Washington’s accusations of undue Communist Party influence, unfair trade barriers and theft of intellectual property. —Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024

Additionally, an autonomous person is reasonably free from undue influence – such as family members pressuring them or financial considerations that restrict their choices. —Maria Kulp, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2024

This would help shift the composition of Africa’s exports to the rest of the world away from undue dependence on raw commodities. —Harry G. Broadman, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

undue

adjective

un·​due ˌən-ˈd(y)ü 

1

: not due

2

: excessive

undue profit

Legal Definition

undue

adjective

un·​due ˌən-ˈdü, -ˈdyü 

1

: not due : not yet payable

an undue bill

2

: exceeding or violating propriety or fitness

would impose undue hardship on the debtors

such a requirement would place an undue burden on employers