unconscionable

adjective

un·​con·​scio·​na·​ble ˌən-ˈkän(t)-sh(ə-)nə-bəl 

1

a

: shockingly unfair or unjust

unconscionable sales practices

b

: excessive, unreasonable

found an unconscionable number of defects in the car

2

: not guided or controlled by conscience : unscrupulous

an unconscionable villain

unconscionability

ˌən-ˌkän(t)-sh(ə-)nə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

unconscionableness

ˌən-ˈkän(t)-sh(ə-)nə-bəl-nəs 

noun

unconscionably

ˌən-ˈkän(t)-sh(ə-)nə-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

When Do You Use unconscionable?

Something that can't be done in good conscience is unconscionable, and such acts can range from betraying a confidence to mass murder. For a five-syllable word, unconscionable is actually quite common. This is partly because it isn't always used very seriously; so, for example, a critic is free to call a fat new book "an unconscionable waste of trees". In law, an unconscionable contract is one that, even though it was signed by both parties, is so ridiculous that a judge will just throw it out.

Synonyms

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

Examples of unconscionable in a Sentence

They have had to endure unconscionable delays.

an unconscionable number of errors for an important government report

Recent Examples on the Web

This is how pop stars validate the unconscionable — from selfishness to degeneracy and crime. —Armond White, National Review, 15 Nov. 2023

But, again, for the Republicans in Congress to even toy with the fact and hold over our heads there might not be flood insurance or disaster assistance up until the final hour, that's unconscionable. —CBS News, 1 Oct. 2023

That many of these employees — primarily women of color — take home puny paychecks, while investors line their pockets, is unconscionable. —Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2023

Physicians, mental illness, and the problem with ‘passing’ The often-irreversible damage experienced by physicians and medical students who lose their fertility due to systemic pressures in medicine is unconscionable. —Vineet Arora, STAT, 18 Aug. 2023

As the President has said multiple times, the Trump Administration’s family separation policy was abhorrent and unconscionable. —Brittany Gaddy, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2023

In the midst of the H.I.V. epidemic, a lengthy drug-approval process seemed unconscionable. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023

The story today about the Sacklers limiting their civil liability for the opioid crisis, that’s unconscionable. —How To Save A Country, The New Republic, 8 June 2023

And now, finally, the government is going to put an end to these unconscionable surcharges. —Christopher Elliott, Dallas News, 7 June 2023

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

unconscionable

adjective

un·​con·​scio·​na·​ble ˌən-ˈkänch-(ə-)nə-bəl 

1

: not guided or controlled by conscience

an unconscionable villain

2

: not being in agreement with what is right or just : unreasonable, excessive

unconscionably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

unconscionable

adjective

un·​con·​scio·​na·​ble ˌən-ˈkän-chə-nə-bəl 

: unreasonably unfair to one party, marked by oppression, or otherwise unacceptably offensive to public policy

an unconscionable clause

finds the contract…to have been unconscionable at the time it was made

—Uniform Commercial Code

compare conscionable

unconscionably adverb