unconscionable

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *né

Proto-Indo-European *n̥-

Proto-Germanic *un-

Proto-West Germanic *un-

Old English un-

Middle English un-

English un-

English conscionable

English unconscionable

From un- + conscionable.

Pronunciation

• (Australia) IPA^(key): /ənˈkɔn.ʃən.ə.bəl/, /ənˈkɔnʃ.nə.bəl/, /ənˈkɔn.ʃən.bəl/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ʌnˈkɒn.ʃən.ə.bəl/, /ʌnˈkɒn.ʃən.bəl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌənˈkɑn(t)ʃ(ə)nəbəl/
• Hyphenation: un‧con‧scion‧a‧ble

Adjective

unconscionable (comparative more unconscionable, superlative most unconscionable)

1. Not conscionable; unscrupulous and lacking principles or conscience.

   Synonyms: outrageous, immoral, unethical

   Antonyms: conscionable, ethical

   • 2001, Joyce Carol Oates, Middle Age: A Romance, paperback edition, Fourth Estate, page 364:

     When Roger assured him that prospects "looked very good" for a retrial, even a reversal of the verdict, since Roger had discovered "unconscionable errors" in the trial, Jackson grunted in bemusement and smiled with half his mouth.

   • 2026 February 13, Nadia Khomami, quoting Arundhati Roy, “Arundhati Roy quits Berlin film festival over ‘stay out of politics’ comment”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     In a statement on Friday announcing her withdrawal, [Arundhati] Roy, who had been planning to attend a screening of her recently restored 1989 film In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones, called the comments “unconscionable” and feared they had reached “millions of people across the world”.

2. Excessive, imprudent or unreasonable.

   Synonyms: shocking, excessive, egregious

   Antonyms: fair, reasonable

   The effective rate of interest was unconscionable, but not legally usurious.

   • 1643, John Milton, Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce:

     [...] and the agrieved person shall doe more manly, to be extraordinary and singular in claiming the due right whereof he is frustrated, then to piece up his lost contentment by visiting the Stews, or stepping to his neighbours bed, which is the common shift in this mis-fortune, or els by suffering his usefull life to wast away and be lost under a secret affliction of an unconscionable size to humane strength.

   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Past”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 84:

     He amazed the pretty hostess by refusing breakfast; however, flinging down double the amount of her already unconscionable bill, consoled her for his want of appetite.

Derived terms

• unconscionably

Related terms

• conscience

Translations

not conscionable; unscrupulous

• Bulgarian: безсъвестен (bg) (bezsăvesten)
• Dutch: onbillijk (nl), gewetenloos (nl)
• Finnish: omantunnon vastainen
• French: sans scrupules (fr)
• German: unverschämt (de), skrupellos (de), gewissenlos (de)
• Greek: παράλογος (el) (parálogos), ασυνείδητος (el) (asyneíditos)
• Italian: senza scrupoli
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: samvittighetsløs, skruppelløs

• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: inescrupuloso (pt)
• Russian: бессо́вестный (ru) (bessóvestnyj)
• Spanish: inescrupuloso
• Turkish: vicdansız (tr), insafsız (tr), mantıksız (tr)

excessive — see also inconceivable

• Bulgarian: неумерен (bg) (neumeren), прекомерен (bg) (prekomeren)
• Dutch: excessief (nl), overdreven (nl)
• Finnish: kohtuuton (fi), hillitön (fi)
• French: déraisonnable (fr)
• German: unverschämt (de), unverhältnismäßig (de)
• Swedish: överdriven (sv), omåttlig (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Afrikaans: ^{(please verify)} onbillik