as in inappropriate
marked by an obvious lack of style or good taste
chose a bizarrely unstylish hairstyle for the Halloween party
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Recent Examples of unstylish
But while practical, it’s understated enough for everyday wear without making your outfits look frumpy or unstylish.
—
Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2025
Only this time, Trump’s ambush was far more clearly choreographed, and thus somewhat less unstylish.
—Jonny Steinberg, Time, 22 May 2025
The sequences in which the crew shoots the movie also provide some of the most memorable technical flourishes for a film that’s largely sturdy and relatively unstylish, and Saleh has a bit of fun staging his tense thriller on some cheap looking soundstages.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
The piece is an antique that wasn't fashionable for many decades, but many jewels once considered fussy or unstylish have now been embraced again.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 8 Dec. 2023
Slippery soles, cold toes, and unstylish footwear should be avoided at all costs.
—Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 29 Dec. 2022
Hearing aids aren't cool: From Bluetooth capabilities to jewelry and charms, Dorn hopes to bust the myth that hearing aids are unstylish.
—Sara M Moniuszko, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2022
The alternative of using a single mirror would require a thick lens—resulting in bulky, unstylish AR glasses.
—Ari Grobman, Forbes, 19 July 2022
Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2025
Only this time, Trump’s ambush was far more clearly choreographed, and thus somewhat less unstylish.
—Jonny Steinberg, Time, 22 May 2025
The sequences in which the crew shoots the movie also provide some of the most memorable technical flourishes for a film that’s largely sturdy and relatively unstylish, and Saleh has a bit of fun staging his tense thriller on some cheap looking soundstages.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
The piece is an antique that wasn't fashionable for many decades, but many jewels once considered fussy or unstylish have now been embraced again.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 8 Dec. 2023
Slippery soles, cold toes, and unstylish footwear should be avoided at all costs.
—Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 29 Dec. 2022
Hearing aids aren't cool: From Bluetooth capabilities to jewelry and charms, Dorn hopes to bust the myth that hearing aids are unstylish.
—Sara M Moniuszko, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2022
The alternative of using a single mirror would require a thick lens—resulting in bulky, unstylish AR glasses.
—Ari Grobman, Forbes, 19 July 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unstylish
Adjective
-
Weisz aces the slapstick comedy of being hot and bothered in an inappropriate setting.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Kamlager-Dove said Noem’s lack of a direct answer raised concerns about her having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and showed a lack of judgment in national security decisions.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Gilberto and Kleberson formed an unfashionable midfield duo largely unknown outside Brazil.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Here’s a rapid-fire update on each stock in the portfolio, starting with seven currently unfashionable names that Jim says should soon be back in style.—
Paulina Likos,Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Environmental chemist Cassandra Rauert noted that this technique is currently unsuitable for identifying polyethylene or PVC in human tissue because molecules from human fat can mimic the signal of these plastics.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
-
This is a significant issue for a project intended for deep-space mission launches, microgravity research, and space manufacturing – only for it to be found unsuitable for any of those goals, largely due to the presence of the astronauts themselves.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And the claim of widespread abuse of sheep during shearing is incorrect.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
-
More than 14,000 child car seats were recalled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after officials said incorrect information was included in the seats' safety manuals.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
By stumbling onto the fact that her dowdy biology professor, Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy), is a secret mad scientist.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Cher’s memorable transformation from a dowdy Italian widow residing in Brooklyn, NY, stole the movie.—
Tonya Blazio-Licorish,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The helpful staff won’t steer you wrong.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Mar. 2026
-
An officer monitoring a vehicle X-ray machine did not detect anything wrong with the vehicle, but another officer doing a physical inspection spotted the woman’s foot, according to the complaint.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The traffic, bachelorette party buses and more inelegant tourists are far out of sight and view from up here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Feb. 2026
-
But this didn’t change the fact of the previous incorrect and inelegant sentence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The tacky-or-brilliant Gucci show, for example, generated days of debate.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Cancun feels as normal and delightfully tacky as ever, even though 10,000 additional National Guard troops were deployed nationwide, some of them joining the thousands already here on the Caribbean coast.—
Matt Rivers,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unstylish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unstylish. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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