A Dictionary of Cont..

his business to an irresponsible relative and soon
found himself ruined). It also means not capable
of responsibility, done without a sense of responsibility
(A young child is naturally, in many
respects, irresponsible). Vnresponsible is a synonym
used seldom in England, almost never in the
United States.
~~~sanitary; insanitary. Some authorities in England
urge the use of unsanitary in the sense of
not possessing sanitation-though not posing,
necessarily, a health problem (The unsanitary
marshes, with their brackish smell . . .), and
insanitary to mean injurious to health, unhealthy
(insanitary slums. Open garbage cans and insanitary
refuse lying in heaps showed all too
plainly the city’s indifference to the health of
those who lived in this neighborhood). In the
United States, where the menace to human
health of any non-sanitary condition has, perhaps,
been more insistently dinned into the general
consciousness (though that does not mean
that more has been done about it than in England),
unsanitary is the term in all senses and
insanitary is a seldom-used synonym.
unsatisfied; dissatisfied; disgruntled. Unsatisfied
and dissatisfied both mean not contented, but dissatisfied
is the stronger term. Unsatisfied means
not satisfied in the sense of falling short of satisfaction
(The one helping of porridge left his
hunger unsatisfied and, to the consternation of
Mr. Bumble, he asked for more). Dissatisfied
means positively discontented, not pleased, offended
(I was dissatisfied with his manners at the
party), showing dissatisfaction (He had a dissatisfied
expression on his face). Dissatisfied is
often a euphemism for offended, especially when
spoken to one who has been remiss by one to
whose satisfaction the other must perform a task.
Disgruntled is a stronger word than dissatisfied,
implying a sulky discontent, a feeling of resentment
at the failure to be satisfied.
unsavory reputation is a journalistic cliche for a
bad reputation or a bad name. How fine, by the
way, the old term bad name sounds in contrast
to this cumbrous substitute! (Endow a canine
with an unsavory reputation and you might as
well immerse him in an aqueous solution until he
expires).
unsolvable. See insoluble.
rmsophistisated; inexperienced; nake; artless. Vnsophisticated
indicates an unfamiliarity with or
an inexperience of the ideas, tastes or manners
of a worldly society (The unsophisticated are
often charming in their innocence). Znexperienced
is a more restrictive term. It means not
experienced, without knowledge or skill gained
from experience, and is usually applied to a particular
activity (He was inexperienced at handling
a large audience and gave way to panic at
their laughter). Nai’ve means having or showing
natural simplicity, ingenuous. It tends to be used
of those whose behavior is so simple as to be
laughable or at least amusing (One has to be
pretty nai:ve to believe in the selflessness of the
senator’s patriotism). Artless may be a neutral
531 unthinkable
term, describing one who is free from deceit.
cunning or craftiness, guileless (The artless manner
in which the child revealed the secret, without
being at all aware of what she was doing,
would have been amusing had not the secret itself
been so dreadful). It may also be used, in a
mildly deprecatory manner, to suggest a lack in
art, knowledge, or skill (The little artless Rosey
thumped the piano and warbled her ditties. Z can
take only so much of her artless prattle). See
also ndif; naive; naive.
unspeakable and ineffable both mean inexpressible,
but in their common, everyday uses they
show how strongly connotation can color a
meaning. For unspeakable, in its generally accepted
sense, means that which cannot be expressed
because it is so vile (His conduct in the
presence of the ladies was unspeakable. He ought
to be horsewhipped!) ; while ineffable means that
which cannot be expressed or uttered because it
is too wonderful (the ineffable joys of heaven)
or dare not be uttered because it is too sacred
(the ineffable name of God).
unsufferable; insufferable. Insufferable is the usual
word used to mean not to be endured, intolerable.
unbearable (The man is an insuflerable
jackass and Z refuse to go if he will be there).
Vnsu.#erable is dying out as an alternative, both
in the United States and in England.
unthinkable; inconceivable; unintelligible. That is
unthinkable, in the strictest sense, which cannot
be thought or made an object of thought (What
is contradictory is unthinkable). Except for infinity,
the nature of God, and other metaphysical
concepts, it is hard to think, indeed almost a
contradiction in terms to try to think, of anything
unthinkable. It is most commonly used,
however, to mean something which will not be
entertained in the mind or the imagination because
it is highly improbable or because it is too
base or degrading (It is unthinkable that he
should be this late and not cull me, unless he has
met with an accident. Such a compromise is unthinkable;
we prefer to accept the consequences
of refusing to agree to your terms). Unthinkable
should not be used to mean unlikely or impossible,
for the mind is well able to think of the
unlikely and the impossible.
Inconceivable means that which cannot be
conceived or realized in the imagination (Zt is
inconceivable that two straight lines should enclose
a space). In common usage it means incredible
or inexplicable (Zt is inconceivable that
Alda should have taken the money. Z will not
believe it without absolute proof and her own
full confession). In this sense it is a close synonym
for unthinkable, but it does not carry as
strong a condemnation as unthinkable does.
Unintelligible is sharply restrictive. It is confined
almost exclusively to words which convey
no conception whatever but are, for any reason,
mere confused sounds or gibberish (I could distinguish
his voice shouting to me through the
storm across the arroyo, but the words were unintelligible
to me).