unconscionable

adjective

un·​con·​scio·​na·​ble ˌən-ˈkän(t)-sh(ə-)nə-bəl 

1

a

: shockingly unfair or unjust

unconscionable sales practices

b

: excessive, unreasonable

found an unconscionable number of defects in the car

2

: not guided or controlled by conscience : unscrupulous

an unconscionable villain

unconscionability

ˌən-ˌkän(t)-sh(ə-)nə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

unconscionableness

ˌən-ˈkän(t)-sh(ə-)nə-bəl-nəs 

noun

unconscionably

ˌən-ˈkän(t)-sh(ə-)nə-blē 

adverb

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When Do You Use unconscionable?

Something that can't be done in good conscience is unconscionable, and such acts can range from betraying a confidence to mass murder. For a five-syllable word, unconscionable is actually quite common. This is partly because it isn't always used very seriously; so, for example, a critic is free to call a fat new book "an unconscionable waste of trees". In law, an unconscionable contract is one that, even though it was signed by both parties, is so ridiculous that a judge will just throw it out.

Synonyms

• baroque
• devilish
• excessive
• exorbitant
• extravagant
• extreme
• fancy
• immoderate
• inordinate
• insane
• intolerable
• lavish
• overdue
• overextravagant
• overmuch
• overweening
• plethoric
• steep
• stiff
• towering
• undue
• unmerciful

Examples of unconscionable in a Sentence

They have had to endure unconscionable delays.

an unconscionable number of errors for an important government report

Recent Examples on the Web

But when indirect deaths are taken into account, the picture becomes even darker and more unconscionable. —William Hartung, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

The legal system generally presents a binary—sane and guilty, or insane and not—and a not-guilty verdict might seem unconscionable when the victims were innocent children. —Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed a lawsuit against YouTube in Phillips County Circuit Court claiming that the online video sharing platform engaged in deceptive and unconscionable trade practices in violation of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. —Amir Mahmoud, arkansasonline.com, 30 Sep. 2024

Two women have died from obvious and unconscionable medical malpractice. —Calum Miller, National Review, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

unconscionable

adjective

un·​con·​scio·​na·​ble ˌən-ˈkänch-(ə-)nə-bəl 

1

: not guided or controlled by conscience

an unconscionable villain

2

: not being in agreement with what is right or just : unreasonable, excessive

unconscionably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

unconscionable

adjective

un·​con·​scio·​na·​ble ˌən-ˈkän-chə-nə-bəl 

: unreasonably unfair to one party, marked by oppression, or otherwise unacceptably offensive to public policy

an unconscionable clause

finds the contract…to have been unconscionable at the time it was made

—Uniform Commercial Code

compare conscionable

unconscionably adverb