Etymologically
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undesirable

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 21:36. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˌʌndɪˈzaɪɹəbəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + desirable.[2][3][4][5][6] The adjective desirable is from Old French desirable (12th century), from desirrer, the source of desire.[3] Etymonline notes earlier relatives: undesired, not asked or invited, from the late 15th century, and a verb undesire (“to cease desiring”) in the late 14th century.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not to be desired, objectionable: 1667, in Milton's Paradise Lost,[2][4] where Eve calls superiority to Adam "A thing not undesirable".[7]

Semantic evolution

Johnson (1755) defined it as not to be wished, not pleasing.[7] The noun, an undesirable person or thing, is first recorded in 1883, in the Athenæum,[2][4][3] and is now used especially of people considered unwelcome in a place or society.[8][4] In the United States armed forces an undesirable discharge, from 1911, is a discharge without court martial but under conditions less than honourable.[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1667 – adjective, not to be desired, objectionable.[2][4]
  • 1883 – noun, an undesirable person or thing.[2][4][3]
  • 1911 – undesirable discharge, in the US forces.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not wanted or welcome, because unpleasant, harmful or objectionable: undesirable side effects.[8][4][2]

Noun

  1. A person or thing considered undesirable, especially a person not wanted in a place or group.[8][4][2]

Word family

  • undesirability
  • undesirably
  • undesirableness

Usage notes

In the US military, an undesirable discharge is a discharge from service without a court martial but under less than honourable conditions.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  8. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins