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inapposite

inapposite

1 9.9
Not suitable for a situation and therefore not important to the topic
  • adjective
  • /ˌɪnˈæpəzɪt/
translation icon : inapropiado
  • His suggestion was completely inapposite to the discussion about climate change.
  • largely inapposite

Examples

  • From this perspective, Moore is inapposite.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Your analogy is clever, but inapposite, in my view.

    Blog text (29)
  • As the dream disappeared, some inapposite answers to that question emerged, particularly on the left.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Acting condescending while making an inapposite comment makes you look stupid.

    Blog text (15)
  • The very paradigm of criminal investigation is largely inapposite in the context of the war on terror.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Nonetheless, his remarks were highly inapposite, and his sucking up to the feminists was of no avail.

    Blog text (14)
  • Even that analogy, however, is inapposite; diagnostic X-rays were used and evaluated by a group of learned specialists as tools of their trade.

    Academic text (2016)
  • The rest of Morrison's examples of the willful blindness of criticism to the presence of "black surrogacy" are simply inapposite.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Ethel laughs at Richard's remark because it is "so inapposite to her own reflections" (54).

    Academic text (2007)
  • The analogy drawn in deWit between the pesticide inspector's suspicions and the police inspector's suspicions in People v. Pace 148 is inapposite.

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

wrong
vsinapposite
1.0

Not suitable for a particular time or purpose

tends to stress ill timing or error more than general lack of relevance
inappropriate
vsinapposite
354 3.7

Not right for a situation or event

focuses more on being irrelevant or out of place than only poor manners
out of place
vsinapposite
63 3.5

Feeling uncomfortable because you do not belong in a place or situation

is used for things that are unsuitable or irrelevant within a context
irrelevant to
vsinapposite
32 4.2

Not related to the subject or situation

emphasizes being unsuitable or out of place rather than merely not applying
unsuitable
vsinapposite
20 2.6

Not right for a person, place, or purpose

leans toward being irrelevant or out of place rather than only ill fit
extraneous
vsinapposite
17 7.5

Not related or needed and coming from outside

refers more to being unsuitable within context than just coming from outside
incongruous
vsinapposite
14 7.4

Not fitting with the things around it and looking strange

is broader, covering general unsuitability or irrelevance beyond mere lack of harmony
impertinent
vsinapposite
4 7.3

Not related to the topic being discussed

focuses more on being unsuitable or out of place rather than only unrelated
inapplicable
vsinapposite
2 6.7

Not relevant or suitable in a particular situation

is broader, pointing to general not fitting or irrelevance beyond application limits
ill-chosen
vsinapposite
1 6.3

Not right for the situation and likely to seem awkward

is used for things that are unsuitable or irrelevant beyond a bad selection
inapt
vsinapposite
  • Formal
1 7.5

Not suitable and awkward when speaking or acting

is more about general lack of fit or relevance than about graceless style
infelicitous
vsinapposite
  • Formal
1 9.1

Unsuitable for a situation that makes people feel uncomfortable

focuses more on being unsuitable or irrelevant rather than on causing sadness
ignorable
vsinapposite
1 5.6

Not important and safe to leave out

is about being unsuitable or out of place rather than only dismissible
inexpedient
vsinapposite
  • Formal
1 9.1

Not a good idea when it is risky or will not work

focuses on being simply unsuitable or irrelevant rather than on being unwise
unbefitting
vsinapposite
  • Formal
7.2

Not suitable for a person or situation

points more to being irrelevant or out of place than to mere impropriety

Antonyms

962 3.5

Right for a particular situation, person, or purpose

172 1.8

Right for a certain purpose, person, or situation

How Appropriate

appropriate
962 3.5
suitable
172 1.8
unsuitable
20 2.6
inappropriate
354 3.7
inapposite
1 9.9
irrelevant
355 3.6

Surface Forms

inapposite positive

Morphology

inapposite = apposite (transparent) = in + apposite

This is a straightforward negative prefixation of 'apposite', meaning simply 'not apposite'.

Etymology

Inapposite starts with in- meaning 'not' and ends with apposite, a word related to 'place' or 'position', just like the English word position. So inapposite literally means 'not in the right place', which is why we use it for something 'not suitable' or 'out of place'.