un ‧ fit /ʌnˈfɪt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ fit , ↑ fitting , ↑ fitness , ↑ fitter , ↑ misfit ; adjective : ↑ fitted , ↑ fitting , ↑ fit ≠ ↑ unfit ; verb : fit; adverb : fittingly]
1 . not in a good physical condition SYN out of shape :
She never gets any exercise – she must be really unfit.
2 . not good enough to do something or to be used for a particular purpose
unfit for
Jenkins is unfit for public office.
The meat was declared unfit for human consumption (=not suitable to eat) .
The house was unfit for human habitation (=not good enough to live in) .
unfit to do something
Hubbard was declared mentally unfit to stand trial.
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THESAURUS
▪ unsuitable/not suitable not having the right qualities for a particular person, purpose, or situation:
These toys are not suitable for children under 3.
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The job was considered unsuitable for women.
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Some dogs end up in totally unsuitable homes.
▪ not appropriate/inappropriate not suitable for a particular situation or purpose – used especially about someone's behaviour or language:
Slang is not appropriate in an academic essay.
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Never reward inappropriate behaviour.
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It would not be appropriate for us to comment at this stage.
▪ wrong not the right thing or person for a particular job or purpose:
You’re using the wrong spoon – this is the soup spoon.
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She was simply the wrong person for the job.
▪ out of place [not before noun] not looking or seeming suitable for that place or situation:
The horse drawn carriage looks a little out of place among the busy traffic.
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At first I felt a bit out of place.
▪ incompatible two ideas or things that are incompatible cannot exist or be done together. Two people who are incompatible are unlikely to have a successful relationship, because they have very different characters, beliefs etc:
He considered the role of wife and mother to be incompatible with a career.
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Why do totally incompatible people get married?
▪ incongruous formal seeming strange and unsuitable, often in a humorous way, because of being unexpected in a particular situation or very different from its surroundings:
It seemed incongruous having a dance-band at the funeral.
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He was dressed in a three-piece suit with an incongruous tie shaped like a fish.
▪ inconvenient an inconvenient place or time is not suitable and causes problems for you:
He always seems to call at inconvenient times.
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The new station is inconvenient to pedestrians, because it is a long walk from the centre of town.
▪ unfit not suitable to be used for something, or not suitable to do something :
The boat is not only unfit to live in but is actually unsafe.
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The meat was declared unfit for human consumption (=not suitable to eat) .
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He claims she is an unfit mother.
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A jury decided Pryse-Jones was unfit to stand trial at court because of his mental illness.
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The house was unfit for human habitation (=not suitable to live in) .