as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
an unseemly interest in their host's income and expenses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in inappropriately
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unseemly
Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Pointing to the often unseemly condition of nearby vacant lots, some residents have expressed concern that if the property owner simply sits on the lot without selling it after demolition, the site would remain a dirt lot for the foreseeable future.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 29 Oct. 2025
Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
This side of the financing world is competitive in its jostling for clients and can be a bit unseemly.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 9 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unseemly
Adjective
For all of these camps, the fracas at Alpha Genesis offered a new occasion to denounce the waste of taxpayer dollars on unseemly animal experiments.
—Adverb
The team that lands Sasaki likely will back out of those commitments without hesitation, no matter how unseemly that practice might appear.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for unseemly
Adjective
-
What readers are saying The comments largely focus on the need for the boyfriend to set boundaries with his sister, who exhibits possessive and inappropriate behavior.—
-
The judge seemed to express skepticism toward the defense's argument that officers recovering Mangione's backpack and taking it to the station for examination was inappropriate.—
Adverb
-
The passenger claimed Riley noticed the kids were watching, but continued to act inappropriately, at one point allegedly appearing to perform oral sex.—
-
During the previous school year, the boy strangled and choked a teacher and pulled up a female classmate’s dress and touched her inappropriately on the school playground, the lawsuit claims.—
Adjective
-
Soils that are high in peat moss are unsuitable for citrus trees.—
-
These tests, though frequently used in Denmark as part of child protection investigations, were criticized as inappropriate and unsuitable for the people of Greenland and other minorities.—
Adverb
-
Byard studies a smartphone showing his year-old wishes for a new coach, those expressed to a reporter late last season, including disappointment that far too many missteps had been improperly dealt with.—
-
Martinez's attorney sought a hearing to determine whether federal authorities improperly destroyed evidence in the cranial case against her by allowing the SUV to be taken back to Maine.—
Adjective
-
Typically, the inspector general investigates schemes defrauding Medicare, improper payments -- such as to insurance companies to cover Medicaid members who had died -- and whether states are doing adequate oversight of providers in their borders.—
-
Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg is also looking into the issue, initially identifying nearly 1,000 potentially improper PPP loans involving city employees.—
Adverb
-
Every surreal interaction, every drab office, every incongruously adoring wife is another turn through the same loop.—
-
Also incongruously quick for his size is Tustin junior defensive lineman Jeremiah Williams (6-1, 311).—
Adjective
-
As analysis, that’s not wrong, but where’s the sting of it inside this bizarre bonbon of a musical?—
-
Despite his brilliance and intellect, he was prevented from having a full life by being born on the wrong side of Israel’s separation fence.—
Adverb
-
Warrem sued the planning agency two years ago, claiming she was wrongly retaliated against for reporting mistakes in how drivers were being charged to use the South Bay tollway.—
-
Much of the offseason ACC hype centered on Wade and NC State — not wrongly so — but are people forgetting about Ryan Odom and Virginia?—
Cite this Entry
“Unseemly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unseemly. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share