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undesirability

undesirability

6.6
A situation where something is not wanted and should be avoided
  • noun
  • /ˌʌndɪˈzaɪərəˌbɪlɪti/
translation icon : indeseabilidad
  • The undesirability of living in a noisy neighborhood made them search for a new home.

Examples

  • The undesirability of excessive fees often discourages potential customers from using that service.

  • The undesirability of fall-through logic and the coding to avoid it are usually understood by programmers with a few years' training and experience.

    Academic text (2000)
  • I made the decision as to whether or not to discharge people for unsuitability and undesirability.

    Blog text (22)
  • Vague statements about the undesirability of various jobs, pursuits, hobbies, social relationships, and views would likely cause a similar reaction.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The perceived undesirability of the school leads teachers, principals, and parents to look elsewhere for opportunities, creating further instability.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The coalition arrayed against Iraq testified to the undesirability of that outcome.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Any such requirement has the undesirability of making relief more difficult to obtain for those industries facing difficulties from a variety of sources, although these may be precisely those industries that are most vulnerable to injurious dumping.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Popularity of elementary school students correlated negatively with judged undesirability of their names (Busse & Seraydarian, 1979).

    Academic text (1993)
  • The nearly unanimous consensus against life tenure for state judges, both on the highest courts and on intermediate appellate courts, is telling, and it provides further evidence of the undesirability of maintaining a system of lifetime tenure in the present-day federal system.

    Academic text (2006)
  • We believe that living in a culture that is preoccupied with thinness may have led to the low self-acceptance values that we found. Participants were continually bombarded by messages from media, health professionals, family, and peers about the undesirability of fatness.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

inappropriateness
vsundesirability
4 7.0

Not being suitable for a situation or place

is about being undesirable overall rather than context impropriety
unacceptability
vsundesirability
1 7.1

A state when people or rules do not allow something

is about being unwanted rather than failing formal standards
unsuitability
vsundesirability
1 5.5

A state in which something is not right for a particular use or situation

is more about being unwanted than simple lack of fit
unsavoriness
vsundesirability
  • US
1 9.3

A behavior that people find morally wrong or offensive

is broader, covering any reason something is not wanted
objectionableness
vsundesirability
9.6

A state that makes people feel offended or dislike something

is about being unwanted more generally, not only causing offense
unpalatability
vsundesirability
9.2

An idea or decision that is hard to accept

focuses on being not wanted rather than being hard to accept
unpalatableness
vsundesirability
9.9

A quality of being hard to accept in your mind or feelings

covers undesired status in general, not only mental rejection
unacceptableness
vsundesirability
8.0

A state when something is not good enough for rules or standards

is broader, pointing to lack of desire not only standard failure
unsuitableness
vsundesirability
7.4

The state of not being right for a use or situation

focuses on being avoided for any reason, not only poor fit
inappositeness
vsundesirability
9.9

The state of not being suitable for a situation or purpose

is a wider idea about being unwanted rather than mistimed fit
unbecomingness
vsundesirability
  • Formal
9.1

The quality of being inappropriate in behavior or appearance

is broader, covering all reasons something should be avoided
unsatisfactoriness
vsundesirability
8.2

A situation where something is not good enough

is about being unwanted rather than merely failing to satisfy needs
inadvisability
vsundesirability
8.8

A situation when something is not a good idea

is about being unwanted for any reason, not only practical risk
unfavorableness
vsundesirability
  • US
7.4

A situation that makes success unlikely

is broader, indicating something people do not want for any cause

Antonyms

6 5.0

How much people want something, for example a house or job

How Desirable

attractiveness
  • NSFW
19 3.2
desirability
6 5.0
neutrality
22 4.4
undesirability
6.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

undesirability = undesirable (transparent) = un + desire + ity

Formed by the regular noun-forming suffix '-ity' added to the adjective 'undesirable', which itself is transparently 'un-' + 'desirable'.

Etymology

Undesirability is built from un- 'not', desire 'want', and -ability 'quality', so it literally means the 'quality of not being wanted'. That's why undesirability describes something people see as unwanted or best avoided.