unallowed or disallowed

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   A phrase used when comparing two adjectives that both mean "not permitted", to ask which one is the right word.

   Grammar: Used as a heading or question, not as an ordinary part of a sentence.

   Patterns

   • unallowed or disallowed?
   • is it unallowed or disallowed

   She typed "unallowed or disallowed" into the search box because she was unsure which adjective to use in her essay.

   In the style guide, the editor wrote a short note: unallowed or disallowed — which one belongs here?

2. 2adjectivenot comparable

   Not permitted by a rule, law, or person in authority; used especially of actions, goals, or official decisions.

   Grammar: Comes after the verb be or before a noun: the goal was disallowed; a disallowed goal.

   Patterns

   • be disallowed
   • disallowed by someone
   • a disallowed goal

   The referee said the goal was disallowed because a player had handled the ball.

   Parking here is disallowed between eight in the morning and six at night.

   The committee disallowed her claim for travel costs.

3. 3adjectivenot comparablerareliterary

   Not allowed or not accepted; a rarer word than "disallowed" that often appears in literary or philosophical writing.

   Grammar: Usually comes before a noun or after be; in everyday speech most people say "not allowed" instead.

   Patterns

   • be unallowed
   • an unallowed act

   In the novel, the character describes grief as an unallowed emotion in her strict household.

   Such behavior was unallowed in the community, though no written rule mentioned it.

Common combinations

disallowed goal

The crowd groaned when the disallowed goal was announced.

be disallowed by law

Smoking inside the building is disallowed by law.

strictly disallowed

Phones are strictly disallowed during the exam.

unallowed feelings

The poem is about unallowed feelings that the speaker can never express.

Synonyms and how they differ

forbidden

Stronger and more dramatic than "disallowed"; it suggests a firm ban, often moral or official.

prohibited

Formal and legal in tone; it fits signs and official documents better than everyday conversation.

banned

Suggests an official decision that something may not be used or done at all, often permanently.

not allowed

The plain everyday phrase; it works in any situation and never sounds old-fashioned.

Opposites

Word family

disallow verb

To officially refuse to accept something, such as a goal or a claim.

disallowance noun

An official refusal to accept a claim, goal, or payment.

allow verb

To let something happen or let someone do something.

Commonly confused: unallowed or disallowed or unallowed? unallowed or disallowed or not allowed?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “unallowed or disallowed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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