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unsoldierly

unsoldierly

9.2
Showing a lack of military discipline in behaviour or appearance
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈsoʊldʒərli/
translation icon : indisciplinado
  • The recruit's unsoldierly conduct during the training exercises raised concerns among the drill instructors.

Examples

  • Sir, I'm trying to establish for the court the irregularities and unsoldierly behavior... of the Bushveldt Carbineers.

  • His unsoldierly attitude was evident when he ignored orders and showed disrespect to his superiors.

  • The general reprimanded the troops for their unsoldierly behavior during the inspection.

Synonyms

undisciplined
vsunsoldierly
18 4.6

Unable to control yourself or follow rules

lacks armed forces discipline and proper bearing
insubordinate
vsunsoldierly
12 8.1

Refusing to follow orders or respect someone in charge

is a broader lack of armed forces discipline and bearing
unmilitary
vsunsoldierly
1 6.7

Not like soldiers or army life

means failing to meet armed forces discipline and bearing

Antonyms

1 6.3

Having strong discipline, bravery, and a calm military manner

How Soldierly

soldierly
1 6.3
disciplined
10 4.2
unsoldierly
9.2
undisciplined
18 4.6

Surface Forms

unsoldierly positive

Morphology

unsoldierly = soldierly (transparent) = un + soldier + ly

Clear negation formed by productive prefix 'un-' applied to the adjective 'soldierly', so the meaning is directly 'not soldierly'.

Etymology

Unsoldierly comes from three parts: un- 'not', soldier and the ending -ly which here means 'in the way of'. So unsoldierly describes behaviour that is 'not soldier-like', lacking the discipline or bearing expected of a soldier.