unseemly C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception US /ʌnˈsimli/ UK /ʌnˈsiːmli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj not in good taste or proper; indecorous There was an unseemly scramble for the last seats. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · not in good taste or... indecorousimproperunbecomingindecentunbefittinginappropriate ↔ Opposites seemlydecorousproperbecomingdecent Word family Forms unseemliness Derived forms unseemliness Related forms seemlyseem Etymology AI details From Middle English unsemely, from un- ('not') + semely ('seemly'), from Old Norse sœmiligr ('fitting, becoming'), from sœma ('to honor, conform to'). un- Old English sœmiligr Old Norse View etymology graph -> Topics Senses & Perception Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # unseemly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ʌnˈsimli/ **IPA (UK):** /ʌnˈsiːmli/ ## Meanings 1. not in good taste or proper; indecorous ## Examples - There was an unseemly scramble for the last seats. ## Synonyms - indecorous - improper - unbecoming - indecent - unbefitting - inappropriate ## Antonyms - seemly - decorous - proper - becoming - decent ## Derived Forms - unseemliness ## Related Forms - seemly - seem ## Roots and Affixes - Root: un- - Root: sœmiligr ## Etymology From Middle English unsemely, from un- ('not') + semely ('seemly'), from Old Norse sœmiligr ('fitting, becoming'), from sœma ('to honor, conform to'). ## AI Etymology Unseemly comes from Middle English unsemely, from un- ('not') + semely ('seemly'), from Old Norse sœmiligr ('fitting, becoming'), from sœma ('to honor, conform to'). The prefix supplies the first semantic turn, while the base carries the lexical core of the word. As an adjective and adverb, it carries the sense "not in good taste or proper; indecorous", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Old English un- and Old Norse sœmiligr. Derivative forms include unseemliness; related words include seemly, seem. ## Topics - Senses & Perception - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown