Meaning & use

unseemly

adjective·Advanced

Not proper, appropriate, or in good taste for a particular situation or occasion.

See it in a sentence

Laughing loudly at the funeral was considered deeply unseemly by the other guests.

The manager's unseemly outburst in front of clients embarrassed the whole office.

A note on using this word

Unseemly is somewhat formal and old-fashioned, often used to judge behavior against social or moral standards of politeness.

Words with a similar meaning

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

Words with an opposite meaning

properseemly

Make it your own

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

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