UNSEEMLY Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'unseemly' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of unseemly are improper , indecorous , indelicate , and unbecoming . While all these words mean "not conforming to what is accepted as right, fitting, or in good taste," unseemly adds a suggestion of special inappropriateness to a situation or an offensiveness to good taste. // remarried with unseemly haste

Q: When could 'improper' be used to replace 'unseemly'?

In some situations, the words improper and unseemly are roughly equivalent. However, improper applies to a broader range of transgressions of rules not only of social behavior but of ethical practice or logical procedure or prescribed method. // improper use of campaign contributions

Q: When can 'indecorous' be used instead of 'unseemly'?

While in some cases nearly identical to unseemly , indecorous suggests a violation of accepted standards of good manners. // indecorous behavior

Q: When would 'indelicate' be a good substitute for 'unseemly'?

The synonyms indelicate and unseemly are sometimes interchangeable, but indelicate implies a lack of modesty or of tact or of refined perception of feeling. // indelicate expressions for bodily functions

Q: When is it sensible to use 'unbecoming' instead of 'unseemly'?

While the synonyms unbecoming and unseemly are close in meaning, unbecoming suggests behavior or language that does not suit one's character or status. // conduct unbecoming to an officer

unseemly 1 of 2

adjective

ˌən-ˈsēm-lē

Definition of unseemly

as in inappropriate

not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation an unseemly interest in their host's income and expenses

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unseemly

2 of 2

adverb

as in inappropriately

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How does the adjective unseemly differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of unseemly are improper, indecorous, indelicate, and unbecoming. While all these words mean "not conforming to what is accepted as right, fitting, or in good taste," unseemly adds a suggestion of special inappropriateness to a situation or an offensiveness to good taste.

remarried with unseemly haste

When could improper be used to replace unseemly?

In some situations, the words improper and unseemly are roughly equivalent. However, improper applies to a broader range of transgressions of rules not only of social behavior but of ethical practice or logical procedure or prescribed method.

improper use of campaign contributions

When can indecorous be used instead of unseemly?

While in some cases nearly identical to unseemly, indecorous suggests a violation of accepted standards of good manners.

indecorous behavior

When would indelicate be a good substitute for unseemly?

The synonyms indelicate and unseemly are sometimes interchangeable, but indelicate implies a lack of modesty or of tact or of refined perception of feeling.

indelicate expressions for bodily functions

When is it sensible to use unbecoming instead of unseemly?

While the synonyms unbecoming and unseemly are close in meaning, unbecoming suggests behavior or language that does not suit one's character or status.

conduct unbecoming to an officer

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

Adjective

Don Marshall, known for his core role on the ABC sci-fi series Land of the Giants, plays the hard-working young professional, who is subjected to an unseemly outpouring of prejudice that the Ingalls family is alone in rebuking. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026 But her mother, who found it unseemly for a little girl to be swinging such a thing about, chopped it off one night while my mother was asleep. — Esther Yi, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

Adverb

Some riffed on Martin's comment that perhaps something unseemly happened. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 18 July 2025 Perhaps the National Women’s Soccer League will find the behind-the-scenes play for White Stadium unseemly and give Boston Unity’s expansion bid the cold shoulder. — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unseemly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unseemly

Adjective

Parental Controls for Shared Devices Parents can restrict access to adult and inappropriate content, which helps when kids use the same phones, tablets, or laptops.

— StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from Dancing with the Stars for one week after making an inappropriate comment toward one of the judges last week.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of inappropriate

Adverb

The company added several safety features designed with teens in mind after several lawsuits alleged its chatbots inappropriately interacted with underage users.

— Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Small was accused of inappropriately touching a fellow staffer at an Albany bar following a June 16 staff event.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of inappropriately

Adjective

At one unsuitable Gramercy apartment, Taylor encountered Cam Armand, a salesperson on the Kota team at Compass, and the Folwells enlisted his help.

— Joyce Cohen, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
In a setting designed to make exceptional yachts desirable, explaining why a particular vessel is unsuitable requires commercial discipline.

— Christoph Lymbersky, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of unsuitable

Adverb

The inspector general also wrote that a procurement agent improperly shared a vendor’s pricing information with the technology department on May 17, 2024, and the prices got in the hands of another vendor.

— Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
The complaint accuses Love Renaissance of improperly diverting money from Walker’s touring, recording, marketing, and merchandising budgets, while charging excessive company expenses to those accounts in bad faith.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of improperly

Adjective

Additionally, improper application of diagnostic criteria, and that fact that MS symptoms can resemble those of other conditions, can sometimes lead to misdiagnosis.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
He’s also accused of having improper or unclear license plates, no proof of registration and insurance, and no proof of a driver’s license.

— Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of improper

Adverb

The neighborhood/area A mile and a half away lies the pretty village of Lyndhurst, with its tourist-coaxing fudge shops and pubs, and a Ferrari dealer plonked incongruously among the red brick and timber quaintness.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Fightland feels incongruously sanitized throughout, without actually being appropriate (or engaging) for all ages.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026

Definition of incongruously

Adjective

Its argument is that insurers have been pricing wildfire risk the wrong way, by looking backward at statistics and sorting homes by zip code.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrong

Adverb

More than 130 million voters were deleted during the revision but the Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
More than 130 million voters were deleted during the revision but the Election Commission has denied favoring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol.

— Reuters, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrongly

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unseemliness

unseemly

unseen

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“Unseemly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unseemly. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unseemly

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