Synonyms of unseemly

unseemly 1 of 2

adjective

ˌən-ˈsēm-lē 

as in inappropriate

not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation

an unseemly interest in their host's income and expenses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• inappropriate
• unsuitable
• improper
• wrong
• incorrect
• unhappy
• unfit
• unfortunate
• irrelevant
• incongruous
• unbecoming
• indecorous
• perverse
• untoward
• out of the way
• infelicitous
• unacceptable
• out of place
• graceless
• amiss
• inept
• inapt
• awkward
• bad
• inapposite
• unapt
• inconsistent
• naughty
• untimely
• unseasonable
• malapropos
• extraneous
• inopportune
• immaterial
• sinful
• forbidden
• uncongenial
• inapplicable
• incompatible
• irrelative
• censurable
• mismatched
• blameworthy
• ungraceful
• unsatisfactory
• prohibited
• blamable
• gauche
• barred
• proscribed
• disallowed
• outlawed
• misbecoming
• banned
• interdicted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• appropriate
• proper
• suitable
• right
• correct
• fitting
• happy
• becoming
• relative
• relevant
• meet
• genteel
• decorous
• timely
• felicitous
• fortunate
• applicable
• apt
• fit
• opportune
• seemly
• seasonable
• congenial
• permitted
• apposite
• material
• harmonious
• befitting
• pointed
• acceptable
• compatible
• pat
• adequate
• authorized
• satisfactory
• all right
• fine
• endorsed
• okay
• germane
• approved
• tolerable
• respectable
• kosher
• sanctioned
• promoted
• decent
• allowed
• OK
• apropos
• licensed
• exemplary
• commendable
• supported
• creditable
• encouraged
• passable
• irreproachable
• blameless
• consonant
• balanced
• abetted
• indorsed
• congruous
• companionate

unseemly

2 of 2

adverb

as in inappropriately

Related Words

• inappropriately
• improperly
• incongruously
• wrongly
• incorrectly
• unsuitably
• unfortunately
• unsatisfactorily
• unacceptably
• unseasonably
• inopportunely
• irrelevantly
• inaptly
• ungracefully
• awkwardly
• inappositely

Dissimilar Words

• appropriately
• properly
• rightly
• right
• suitably
• correctly
• duly
• happily
• fittingly
• well
• congruously
• appositely
• meetly
• adequately
• acceptably
• tolerably
• satisfactorily
• passably

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

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

Through the years, Welch’s legend has been shaped and the burrs smoothed, the inconsistencies and unseemly bits taken into a particular form, in the same manner that a woodturner takes a roughing gouge to a block of wood to round it before hollowing it out. —Brendan Fitzgerald, Longreads, 26 June 2025

Then the new year arrived — and Darnold seemed to revert to his unseemly past. —Michael Silver, New York Times, 19 June 2025