Meaning & use

unduly

adverb·Advanced

To an excessive or inappropriate degree; more than is reasonable or necessary.

See it in a sentence

The judge ruled that the punishment was unduly harsh given the circumstances.

She tried not to become unduly worried before receiving the test results.

A note on using this word

Unduly always signals that something has gone beyond a reasonable or fair limit, and it pairs most often with adjectives like harsh, concerned, or influenced.

Words with a similar meaning

excessivelyunreasonablyoverly

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

reasonablyappropriately

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “unduly”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.