What does unseemly mean?
Word: Unseemly
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Unseemly means not polite or right for the occasion.
Synonyms: unbecoming
How do you spell unseemly?
Syllables: un - seem - ly
Tricky part: The vowel sound in the middle is a double e, and pupils often swap it for ea or drop a letter.
Watch out for: unseamly, unsemly
Memory tip: Rude behaviour does not seem right: keep the ee of seem in the middle.
Unseemly in a sentence
Example 1: There was an unseemly scramble for seats when the hall doors opened.
Example 2: Mother thought it unseemly to answer a phone call during the speech.
Example 3: The rival fans had an unseemly shouting match over a simple line call.
Fun Fact
Unseemly goes back to an Old Norse word meaning fitting, so it has always been about behaviour that does not fit the moment. Its formal tone means you are more likely to meet it in a novel than in a chat with friends.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words can take the prefix un to make a real word. Choose it:
un
a) seemly
b) regular
c) possible
d) legal
Show answer
a) seemly. The others take il, ir and im; seemly is the one that takes un.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Everybody at the reunion agreed that pushing to the front of the buffet queue before the elders had eaten was thoroughly unseemley and rather embarrassing.
a) buffet
b) thoroughly
c) unseemley
d) embarrassing
Show answer
c) unseemley. Adjectives like this end in ly with no extra e.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word unseemly as used in the sentence:
It was unseemly to argue over the last slice of cake at Grandma's birthday tea.
a) impolite
b) improper
c) proper
d) tactless
Show answer
c) proper. Proper behaviour is what the occasion asks for, the reverse of arguing over cake.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
It would be lemsunye to leave before the speeches, Father whispered at the reception.
a) unseemly
b) unsightly
c) unlikely
d) unsteady
Show answer
a) unseemly. The jumble has an m and two e's, and only one option uses them.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would be called unseemly at a formal dinner?
a) thanking the host before leaving
b) sitting where the name card says
c) laughing loudly during the welcome speech
d) waiting quietly for the meal to begin
Show answer
c) laughing loudly during the welcome speech
2. A critic writes of an unseemly rush to finish. What does she think?
a) The haste did not suit the moment.
b) The hurry was rather clever.
c) The work was very neat.
d) The pace was far too slow.
Show answer
a) The haste did not suit the moment.
