uhn-ak-SEP-tuh-buhl
/ˌʌnæˈksɛptəbəl/
unacceptable is pronounced uhn-ak-SEP-tuh-buhl (/ˌʌnæˈksɛptəbəl/). Unacceptable describes something not satisfactory or permissible; it fails to meet standards or expectations. In usage, it signals strong disapproval and often triggers corrective or disciplinary responses. The term is common in formal and professional discourse, signaling that a condition, action, or outcome cannot be tolerated or approved.
Unacceptable describes something not satisfactory or permissible; it fails to meet standards or expectations. In usage, it signals strong disapproval and often triggers corrective or disciplinary responses. The term is common in formal and professional discourse, signaling that a condition, action, or outcome cannot be tolerated or approved.
"The committee ruled the proposal unacceptable due to its incomplete data."
"His behavior at the meeting was unacceptable and led to a formal warning."
"They found the safety record unacceptable and implemented new procedures."
Say /ˌən.əkˈsep.tə.bəl/. Start with the unstressed /ən/ as a quick schwa, then /ə/ in /ək/, stress the /sep/ syllable (secondary peak), followed by /tə/ and end with /bəl/. Ensure the /-sept-/ cluster is crisp: /sɛp/ in many accents or /səp/ in fast speech. Mouth: relax jaw for the schwas, place the tongue high for /s/ and /p/, and close with a light /l/ or dark /l/ depending on accent.
Common errors: misplacing stress on the wrong syllable (e.g., /ˌʌnˌækˈsep.tə.bəl/), or softening /t/ into a /d/ in casual speech. Another frequent slip is swallowing the /k/ sound, giving /ˌən.əkˈsep.tə.bl/ or omitting the final -ble syllable, producing /ˌən.əkˈsep.tə.bəl/ but with a silent e. Correction: pronounce the primary stress on -sep-; enunciate /t/ clearly before the /ə/; ensure the final /l/ is light but audible. Practice with slow, exaggerated enunciation, then normalize.”},{
US: rhotic with pronounced /r/ in 'un' blends? Actually /ˌən.əkˈsep.tə.bəl/ small rhotic influence minimal in /ən/. UK: similar, but /t/ often released crisply; non-rhotic tendencies still present in careful speech; AU: similar to UK; slight vowel shortening; /ə/ in syllables may be more centralized. In all three, primary stress on the -sep- syllable; vowels /ə/ and /e/ can shift toward centralized schwa or near-front /e/ depending on speaker. Keep rhotics minimal in initial syllable in most non-rhotic contexts, but US may retain subtle /ɹ/ by some speakers in rapid speech.”},{
Because it combines multiple unstressed and stressed syllables with a dense consonant cluster: /ən.-ək-ˈsep.tə.bəl/. The /k/ is followed by /s/; the /t/ before a weak vowel adds a subtle plosive release; final -ble contains an /l/ with a schwa or reduced vowel before it. The contrast between /ə/ and /e/ in /sep/ and /tə/ can be tricky; rapid speech can fuse syllables, and regional vowels shift the central vowels, making the word feel unfamiliar. Mastery comes from precise syllable boundary awareness and consistent stress pattern.”},{
In casual speech, summerization or elision can occur in connected speech: the initial /ən/ can reduce toward a schwa that’s barely audible, yielding something like /nˈækˌsep.tə.bəl/ in rapid audio. This is more likely in fast, informal contexts where speakers contract or compress weak syllables.
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Unacceptable is formed from the prefix un- (a negating prefix from Old English un-, meaning 'not' or 'reverse of'), the base word acceptable (from Latin acceptabilis, meaning 'able to be approved', from accept- ‘taken, received’ + -abilis ‘able to be’). The root accept- traces to Latin accipere ‘to take, receive’, from which English borrowed accept, acceptable, and acceptance. The suffix -able is from Latin -abilis, indicating capability. The combination provides a sense of not being able to be approved or tolerated. The word first appears in English in the 17th- to 18th-century period as a compound of un- with acceptable, reflecting evolving bureaucratic and ethical standards in discourse. Over time, 'unacceptable' broadened beyond legal or formal contexts to everyday usage, capturing moral, social, or quality judgments. In modern usage, it conveys strong disapproval not merely of adequacy but of compliance with norms, rules, or expectations; the term frequently occurs in professional, educational, and policy discussions as a categorical evaluation rather than a personal preference. The word’s frequency rose with standardized governance, quality assurance, and civil discourse, sustaining its status as a clear, emphatic negation of acceptability in contemporary English. Two related but distinct senses persist: (a) contravening explicit standards (e.g., safety, legality) and (b) socially or ethically improper conduct, which strengthens the force of the term across registers.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "unacceptable" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "unacceptable"
-ble sounds
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