unseemly 1 of 2

unseemly

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adverb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective unseemly differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of unseemly are improper, indecorous, indelicate, and unbecoming. While all these words mean "not conforming to what is accepted as right, fitting, or in good taste," unseemly adds a suggestion of special inappropriateness to a situation or an offensiveness to good taste.

remarried with unseemly haste

When could improper be used to replace unseemly?

In some situations, the words improper and unseemly are roughly equivalent. However, improper applies to a broader range of transgressions of rules not only of social behavior but of ethical practice or logical procedure or prescribed method.

improper use of campaign contributions

When can indecorous be used instead of unseemly?

While in some cases nearly identical to unseemly, indecorous suggests a violation of accepted standards of good manners.

indecorous behavior

When would indelicate be a good substitute for unseemly?

The synonyms indelicate and unseemly are sometimes interchangeable, but indelicate implies a lack of modesty or of tact or of refined perception of feeling.

indelicate expressions for bodily functions

When is it sensible to use unbecoming instead of unseemly?

While the synonyms unbecoming and unseemly are close in meaning, unbecoming suggests behavior or language that does not suit one's character or status.

conduct unbecoming to an officer

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unseemly
Adjective
This side of the financing world is competitive in its jostling for clients and can be a bit unseemly. Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 9 Oct. 2024 While the prospect of finishing Rust could feel unseemly, doing this is a Hollywood tradition. Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 July 2024
Adverb
Newcastle’s unseemly dash to comply with profit and sustainability rules (PSR) at the end of June unsettled players. George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025 Campaigning may be unseemly, but in an Oscar race where only five slots exist, presence can tilt the scales. Clayton Davis, Variety, 1 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unseemly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unseemly
Adjective
  • This means exposing the shoulders, showing too much leg above the knees, or wearing clothing with crude or inappropriate imagery.
    Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Section 5 would've set new terms for challenging material that anyone may find inappropriate, and ultimately vest public local officials with the power to issue a final ruling on the dispute.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • During the previous school year, the boy strangled and choked a teacher and pulled up a female classmate’s dress and touched her inappropriately on the school playground, the lawsuit claims.
    Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Sheriff’s officials said that Jaekel also asked one of the children for nude pictures of herself and that each of the four victims witnessed Jaekel inappropriately touching the other female family members.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This closeness causes gravitational instability that existing planetary formation models have suggested should result in an environment unsuitable for planet formation.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • They were placed there by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after being deemed unsuitable for wild release.
    Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • OpenAI jumped on the move, arguing that its opposition improperly added an entirely new claim to the case without notice.
    Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
  • While Calvo was still serving on the City Council, the Property Appraiser’s Office notified his family that the senior exemption had been improperly applied and issued a Notice of Intent to Lien to recover back taxes, penalties and interest.
    Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Graf sided with a defense motion arguing the sheriff's office joint filing with the prosecution was procedurally improper, but did not make a decision about whether to issue a blanket ban on photography and video recording in the courtroom or hold certain hearings remotely.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Hospitals, according to the suit, submitted such claims and were the recipients of these improper payments.
    Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • Every surreal interaction, every drab office, every incongruously adoring wife is another turn through the same loop.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Also incongruously quick for his size is Tustin junior defensive lineman Jeremiah Williams (6-1, 311).
    Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • While most plot details remain under wraps, The Hollywood Reporter previously revealed that one plot point centers on the son of Stiller and Polo’s characters, who gets engaged to a ball-busting woman who seems all wrong for him.
    Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The right kiss will save them, but the wrong one will kill them.
    Brittany Johnson, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Adverb
  • And as federal agents and local police wrongly focussed on Richard Jewell, a security guard who had spotted the suspicious package and should have been hailed as a hero, the real bomber disappeared.
    John Archibald, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The attorney representing a former Charlotte volunteer football coach accused of shooting at a southwest Charlotte home said his client has been wrongly accused.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 28 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Unseemly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unseemly. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

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