INDEX:
1. not suitable for a particular purpose, person, or situation
2. when someone is not suitable for a particular job or situation
3. when something is not suitable for a place or situation
4. when two people are not suitable for each other
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ SUITABLE
see also
↑ WRONG
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1. not suitable for a particular purpose, person, or situation
▷ unsuitable/not suitable /ʌnˈsuːtəb ə l, nɒt ˈsuːtəb ə l/ [adjective]
▪ We never planted roses here because the climate isn’t suitable.
▪ The strict laws forbid women to read ‘unsuitable material.’
unsuitable/not suitable for
▪ The road is not suitable for heavy vehicles.
▪ The movie contains violence and is unsuitable for children.
▷ inappropriate/not appropriate /ˌɪnəˈprəʊpriɪt, ˌɪnəˈprəʊpriət, nɒt əˈprəʊpriə̇t/ [adjective] formal
not suitable for a situation or purpose - use this especially about something that has been done or chosen without enough care or thought :
▪ This is not an appropriate use of taxpayers’ money.
▪ I thought his remarks were inappropriate on such a serious occasion.
inappropriate/not appropriate for
▪ The court found that the sex-education brochures were inappropriate for eighth-grade students.
it is inappropriate/not appropriate (for somebody) to do something
▪ It’s completely inappropriate for the President to get so involved in a local issue like this.
▷ unsuited to something/not suited to something /ʌnˈsuːtɪd tə , ʌnˈsuːtəd tə something, nɒt ˈsuːtə̇d tə something/ [adjective phrase]
not having the qualities or characteristics that are needed for a particular purpose or situation :
▪ The tomatoes didn’t grow because they’re unsuited to the soil here.
▪ Her outfit was completely unsuited to the tropical climate.
▷ wrong /rɒŋǁrɔːŋ/ [adjective]
not the right one for a particular job or purpose :
▪ You’re using the wrong spoon - this is the soup spoon.
▪ I think you picked the wrong time to call her.
wrong for
▪ His brand of nationalism is wrong for our party and wrong for the country.
▷ hardly the time/place/person [adverb] /ˌhɑːʳdli ðə ˈtaɪm, ˈpleɪs, ˈpɜːʳs ə n/
use this when it is completely the wrong time or place in which to do something, or the person doing it is a completely unsuitable person :
▪ This is hardly the place to talk about your sexual problems.
▪ I know it’s hardly the moment to tell you, but I’ve quit my job.
▪ This little man was hardly the kind of person you’d expect to be in charge of an international gun-smuggling scheme.
▷ unfit/not fit /ʌnˈfɪt, nɒt ˈfɪt/ [adjective not usually before noun]
not good enough for a particular purpose, especially when someone has officially decided this :
unfit/not fit for
▪ The land is so polluted it is not fit for crops.
unfit for human consumption/habitation
not fit for humans to eat or live in
▪ The meat was declared unfit for human consumption.
unfit/not fit to do something
▪ Her uncle was mentally unstable and unfit to raise a child.
2. when someone is not suitable for a particular job or situation
▷ unsuitable/not suitable /ʌnˈsuːtəb ə l, nɒt ˈsuːtəb ə l/ [adjective not usually before noun]
▪ They told me that the reason I was considered unsuitable was that I was over-qualified.
▪ We’ve already rejected several unsuitable candidates.
unsuitable/not suitable for
▪ The first person we interviewed was clearly not suitable for the job.
▷ not be cut out for /nɒt biː kʌt ˈaʊt fɔːʳ something/ [verb phrase] informal
if you are not cut out for a type of work or way of life, you do not have the right qualities to enjoy it or to be successful in it :
▪ Obviously, Paul was not cut out for army life.
▪ She’d been married only a year and a half when her husband decided he was not cut out for marriage.
▷ wrong /rɒŋǁrɔːŋ/ [adjective]
completely unsuitable for a particular job :
▪ This is a very important job, so we don’t want to choose the wrong person.
wrong for
▪ Dave’s wrong for this job. He doesn’t have enough patience.
▷ ill-suited to something/not suited to something /ˌɪl ˈsuːtə̇d tə something, ˌnɒt ˈsuːtə̇d tə something/ [adjective phrase] formal
unsuitable for a particular job or activity, because you do not have the right qualities for it :
▪ With so little experience, Paula is not really suited to the role of personnel director.
▪ The Lieutenant was by nature a man ill-suited to the discomforts of army life.
▷ be/seem/feel/look out of place /biː, siːm, fiːl, lʊk ˌaʊt əv ˈpleɪs/ [verb phrase]
to be, feel, or look very different from the other people you are with, and therefore seem to not belong with them :
▪ In her old jeans and college sweater, Sarah looked a little out of place in the foyer of the Grand Hotel.
▪ Leary later went to Beverly Hills High School, but he felt out of place among the rich kids.
▷ misfit /ˈmɪsˌfɪt/ [countable noun]
someone who does not seem to belong in a group or in society because they have different attitudes, a different appearance, different habits etc :
▪ I didn’t have a very happy time at school - I suppose I was something of a misfit.
social/societal misfit
▪ He’s always blamed his parents for turning him into a social misfit.
3. when something is not suitable for a place or situation
▷ be/seem/look out of place /biː, siːm, lʊk ˌaʊt əv ˈpleɪs/ [verb phrase]
if something is out of place, it seems or looks very different from the other things around it, and therefore seems unsuitable for that particular place or situation :
▪ Extremely informal language is out of place in an academic essay.
▪ The Christmas decorations looked somehow out of place in Waikiki.
▷ be out of keeping/not be in keeping /biː ˌaʊt əv ˈkiːpɪŋ, ˌnɒt biː ɪn ˈkiːpɪŋ/ [verb phrase]
to not seem right or suitable when seen together with something else that is very different in style or character :
▪ Serious poetry published in newspapers always seems slightly out of keeping.
be out of keeping/not be in keeping with
▪ Those new windows are not really in keeping with the style of the house.
▪ The cheerful cover of the diary was out of keeping with the thoughts I was recording inside.
▷ incongruous /ɪnˈkɒŋgruəsǁɪnˈkɑːŋ-/ [adjective]
something that is incongruous seems strange and unsuitable, often in a humorous way, because it is so unexpected in a particular situation, so different from its surroundings etc :
▪ It seemed incongruous having a dance-band at the funeral.
▪ He was dressed in a three-piece suit with an incongruous tie shaped like a fish.
4. when two people are not suitable for each other
▷ incompatible /ˌɪnkəmˈpætɪb ə l, ˌɪnkəmˈpætəb ə l/ [adjective]
two people who are incompatible are unable to form a long relationship with each other because they have very different characters, attitudes, interests etc :
▪ After a week together on vacation it was clear that they were totally incompatible.
▪ My parents always seemed incompatible to me, but they stayed together for over 40 years.
▷ be wrong for/not be right for /biː ˈrɒŋ fɔːʳǁ-ˈrɔːŋ-, nɒt biː ˈraɪt fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]
to not be the right type of person to form a relationship with someone else, especially a long or serious relationship :
▪ Everyone told him that she was wrong for him, but he wouldn’t listen.
▪ I’ll introduce you if you want, but I don’t think he’s really right for you.
▷ not be somebody’s type /nɒt biː somebodyˈs ˈtaɪp/ [verb phrase] informal
to not be a suitable person to form a relationship or friendship with someone else because you have different attitudes, interests etc or because you are not attracted to someone with particular characteristics :
▪ All he ever talks about is football - he’s not really my type.
▪ Denise was really nice, but physically she wasn’t my type.
▷ not be suited /nɒt biː ˈsuːtə̇d/ [verb phrase]
if two people are not suited, they are not suitable for each other because they have very different attitudes and characters :
▪ I’ve never thought of going out with her - we’re not really suited.
not be suited to/for
▪ If two people aren’t naturally suited to each other, there’s no point in pursuing a relationship.
▷ ill-matched /ˌɪl ˈmætʃt◂/ [adjective] formal
two people who are having a relationship who are ill-matched, have very different characters, interests etc and their relationship is likely to be very difficult or unsuccessful :
▪ They were both strong, vital people, but they made an ill-matched couple.
▪ Whenever you see them, they’re always arguing - they seem very ill-matched.