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undesirablenot wanted or desirable; harmful or unpleasant

Part of speech: ADJECTIVE

Definition: not wanted or desirable; harmful or unpleasant

Pronunciation (IPA): /ʌnˈdɪzaɪrəbl/

Example Sentences

  • The medicine worked well, but it had some undesirable side effects like making me sleepy during important meetings.
  • Living next to a karaoke bar has many undesirable aspects, especially when your neighbor thinks they're the next K-pop star.
  • The company wants to eliminate all undesirable practices to improve its reputation.

undesirable

ADJECTIVE

[/ʌnˈdɪzaɪrəbl/]

not wanted or desirable; harmful or unpleasant

Smoking has many undesirable effects on health.
💡 Concept

Smoking has many undesirable effects on health.

The manager warned employees about undesirable behavior. (❌ Not Wanted + 🚫 Not Desirable → Undesirable)
🧠 Mnemonic

The manager warned employees about undesirable behavior. (❌ Not Wanted + 🚫 Not Desirable → Undesirable)

He changed his undesirable habits, became admirable, and left an unforgettable impression.
🎵 Rhyme

He changed his undesirable habits, became admirable, and left an unforgettable impression.

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ʌnˈdɪzaɪrəbl/
🇬🇧 UK/ʌnˈdɪzaɪərəbl/

🌳Etymology

Prefixun--
Rootdesire
Suffix--able

Origin

The word derives from the Latin 'desiderare' (to long for, wish for), combined with the Germanic negative prefix 'un-' and the Latin-derived suffix '-able' (capable of). This combination produces the meaning 'not worthy of being desired' or 'not wanted.'

Breakdown

un- (not) + desire (from Latin desiderare, to long for) + -able (capable of being). The morpheme 'desire' functions as the root, negated by the prefix 'un-' and rendered as an adjective through the suffix '-able'.

🎵Rhyme

desirableadmirableconsiderable
desirable
admirable
considerable

🔗Collocations

undesirable effects
undesirable behavior
undesirable consequences
highly undesirable
undesirable outcomes
undesirable side effects

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

The medicine worked well, but it had some undesirable side effects like making me sleepy during important meetings.

😄 Fun example

Living next to a karaoke bar has many undesirable aspects, especially when your neighbor thinks they're the next K-pop star.

The company wants to eliminate all undesirable practices to improve its reputation.

Fast food may be convenient, but it often has undesirable health consequences.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

unwantedharmfulobjectionableunfavorabledisagreeable

Antonyms

desirablewantedfavorable

Related

unacceptableinappropriateunsuitableunwelcome

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