1507
unfavourable
off) 2 (of a wound) not treated with drugs and covered
(DRESS) 3 (of an animal skin) not yet fully treated or
preserved as leather
un·due /ˌʌnˈdju || -ˈduː/ adj [A] fml more than is reasonable,
suitable, or necessary; EXCESSIVE: It would be wise not to give
undue importance to his criticisms. | with undue haste -> see
also UNDULY
un·du·late /ˈʌndjʊleɪt || -dʒə-/ v [I] rather fml to move or lie like
waves rising and falling: undulating hills —lation
/ˌʌndjʊˈleɪʃn || -dʒə-/ n [C;U] the gentle undulations of the
English landscape
un·du·ly /ˌʌnˈdjuːli || -ˈduː-/ adv fml in an undue way; too
much (so): We're not unduly worried/not worried unduly.
un·dy·ing /ˌʌnˈdaɪ·ɪŋ/ adj [A] which will never end; ETERNAL:
our undying love | undying fame
un·earned /ˌʌnˈɜːnd || -ˈɜːrnd/ adj 1 not obtained by
working: unearned income/wealth 2 not deserved: unearned
praise
un·earth /ˌʌnˈɜːθ || -ˈɜːrθ/ v [T] 1 to dig up: The police
unearthed a skeleton in his garden. 2 to discover by careful
searching: The reporter had unearthed some interesting
secrets about her.
un·earth·ly /ˌʌnˈɜːθli || -ˈɜːr-/ adj 1 very strange and unnatur-
al; GHOSTLY: I felt an unearthly presence in the room. 2 [A]
infml (of time) very inconvenient, especially because too early
or late: What an unearthly time of night to call! —liness n
[U]
un·ease /ˌnˈiːz/ n [U] especially lit anxiety; worry
un·eas·y /ˌʌnˈiːzi/ adj 1 feeling anxious, uncertain, and
uncomfortable in the mind: I'm uneasy about this deci-
sion. 2 causing uneasy feelings; not settled; likely to end
without warning: The nuclear deterrent has maintained an
uneasy peace since World War II. 3 not comfortable or at
rest: uneasy sleep —ily adv —iness n [U]
USAG Uneasy does not mean 'difficult'.
un·e·co·nom·ic /ˌʌniːkəˈnɒmɪk ,, ˌʌnekə- || -ˈnɑː-/
adj 1 resulting in loss of money or not producing (enough)
profit: The factory is uneconomic and will have to be closed
down. -> opposite ECONOMIC 2 also un·e·co·nom·i·cal /-kəl/
— wasteful: an uneconomic use of time -> compare ECONOMI-
CAL —ally /kli/ adv
un·ed·i·fy·ing /ˌʌnˈedfaɪ-ɪ/ adj unpleasant or offensive to
the moral sense: the unedifying spectacle of players attacking
the referee
un·ed·u·cat·ed /ˌʌnˈedʒʊkeɪtɪd || -dʒə-/ adj showing a lack of
(good) education: uneducated speech
un·em·ployed /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/ adj 1 not having a job: He's
unemployed at present. | [also n, (the) P] The number of unem-
ployed is rising all the time. 2 fml not being used profitably:
unemployed wealth
un·em·ploy·ment /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ n [U] 1 the number of
people without work in a group or society, in relation to the
number of people wanting work: In this period, unemploy-
ment reached record levels. 2 the state of being unemployed:
These closures will mean unemployment for about 500 work-
ers. 3 AmE infml for UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT: He's been collect-
ing unemployment for six weeks. | Do I qualify for
unemployment? -> compare FULL EMPLOYMENT
unem'loyment |benefit also unem'ployment com|
pen|sation AmE — n [U] a sum of money paid regularly by
the state to an unemployed worker, especially the money paid
in Britain to unemployed workers who have made a certain
number of NATIONAL INSURANCE payments: He's been living
off unemployment benefit for three months, and still has no
job.
un·end·ing /ˌʌnˈendɪŋ/ adj (especially of something unpleas-
ant) continuing (or seeming to be) without end: an unend-
ing struggle to survive
un·en·light·ened /ˌʌnɪnˈlaɪtənd/ adj 1 without knowl-
edge or understanding: After his complicated explanation
I'm afraid I was still completely unenlightened. 2 having
wrong beliefs because of lack of knowledge; SUPERSTITIOUS ->
see also ENLIGHTENED
un·en·vi·a·ble /ˌʌnenviəbl/ adj difficult and unpleasant;
not to be wished for: The policeman had the unenviable job of
telling her that her husband had been killed.
un·e·qual /ˌnˈiːkwəl/ adj 1 [(to)] not of equal size, value etc:
unequal amounts 2 not balanced or fair; ONE-SIDED: an
unequal contest 3 [F+to] fml (of a person) not having enough
strength, ability etc; INADEQUATE: He proved to be unequal to
the job. (=could not do it) —ly adv —ness n [U]
un·e·qualled BrE || unequaled AmE /ˌʌnˈiːkwəld/ adj fml
greater or especially better than any other: unequalled
courage | The school's success rate is unequalled. -> see also
EQUAL
un·e·quiv·o·cal /ˌʌnɪˈkwɪvəkəl/ adj fml completely clear;
allowing no possibility of doubt: an unequivocal refusal
—cally /kli/ adv
un·er·ring /ˌʌnˈɜːrɪŋ/ adj habitually making no mistakes,
especially in hitting something or reaching the right point:
With unerring judgment/aim he repeatedly hit the centre of
the target. —ly adv
UNESCO /juˈneskəʊ/ abbrev for United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization; a part of the UN,
based in Paris, which is concerned especially with providing
help for poorer countries with education and science
un·e·ven /ˌʌnˈiːvən/ adj 1 not smooth, flat, or level: The
road surface is very uneven here. | Her hair has been badly cut
and the ends are uneven. 2 irregular: His heart beat at an
uneven rate. -> compare EVEN 3 varying in quality or in type;
INCONSISTENT: His work has been rather uneven this year.
(=has often been bad) 4 not equal or balanced equally: an
uneven contest 5 (of a number) ODD —ly adv: The two teams
are unevenly matched. (=not equal in size or ability) —ness
n [U]
un·e·vent·ful /ˌʌnɪˈventfəl/ adj with nothing unusual or
exciting happening: an uneventful life/day/journey —ly adv
—ness n [U]
un·ex·am·pled /ˌʌnɪgˈzɑːmpəld || -ˈzæm-/ adj fml greater or
better than anything else of the same type has ever been;
EXCEPTIONAL: unexampled bravery
un·ex·cep·tion·a·ble /ˌʌnɪkˈsepʃənəbl/ adj fml that can-
not be disapproved of; quite satisfactory: unexceptionable
behaviour —bly adv
un·ex·cep·tion·al /ˌʌnɪkˈsepʃənəl/ adj fml not at all unu-
sual; ordinary
un·ex·plored /ˌʌnɪkˈsplɔːd || -ˈsplɔːrd/ adj 1 an unex-
plored place has not been examined or put on a map:
unexplored planets 2 an unexplored idea has not been
thought about or discussed: The study looks at a relatively
unexplored area of human relationships.
un·ex·pur·gat·ed /ˌʌnˈekspəɡətɪd || -pər-/ adj (of a book,
play etc) with nothing that is considered improper taken
out; complete
un·fail·ing /ˌʌnˈfeɪlɪŋ/ adj (especially of something good)
always present; never lost; continuous: with unfailing
interest/good humour -> see also FAIL —ly adv
un·fair /ˌʌnˈfeər/ adj not just, reasonable, or honest: It's
very unfair that the whole class should be punished because of
one person's mistake. | Her friendship with the director gave
her an unfair advantage at the interview. —ly adv: He claims
he was unfairly dismissed.
,unfair dis'mission n [U] a situation in employment law in
which a person has been unjustly dismissed from a job
which he/she has held for two years or more: You can claim
unfair dismissal, and may be able to get your job back.
un·faith·ful /ˌʌnˈfeɪθfəl/ adj 1 [(to)] having a sexual experi-
ence or relationship with someone other than one's hus-
band or wife: She was unfaithful (to her husband) for years
before he found out. -> see also Cultural Note at ADUL-
TERY 2 rare not faithful or loyal —ly adv —ness n [U]
un·fal·ter·ing /ˌʌnˈfɔːltərɪŋ/ adj fml, usually apprec firm; not
changing or hesitating (HESITATE): her unfaltering sense of
duty -> see also FALTER —ly adv
un·fath·om·a·ble /ˌʌnˈfæðəməbl/ adj especially lit too strange
or mysterious to understand: an unfathomable mystery
—bly adv
un·fa·vour·a·ble BrE || -vorable AmE /ˌʌnˈfeɪvərəbl/ adj