Meanings
comparative more unwarranted · superlative most unwarranted
- Not warranted; being without warrant, authority, or guaranty; unwarrantable.
- Unjustified, inappropriate or undeserved.
This strike action by the RMT is completely unwarranted and unjustified.
2021 September 22, “Network News: Union threatens to escalate Class 360s dispute with EMR”, in RAIL, number 940, page 232 more examples
The attack was so unwarranted and delivered with such venom that his unpreparedness for it left him speechless.
1966, James Workman, The Mad Emperor, Melbourne, Sydney: Scripts, page 62The dictionaries themselves cover this additional lexis in what can best be described as a piecemeal fashion, with an obvious but unwarranted bias towards colonial era lexis.
2012, James Lambert, “Beyond Hobson-Jobson: A new lexicography for Indian English”, in World Englishes, page 312
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveincapable of being justified or explained
adjectivewithout a basis in reason or fact
adjectivelacking justification or authorization
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Germanic*un-
- Proto-West Germanic*un-
- Old Englishun-
- Middle Englishun-
- Englishun-
- Englishwarranted
- Englishunwarranted
Translations
Bulgarian негарантиран, незаслужен
- негарантиран (negarantiran)being without warrant, authority or guaranty
- незаслужен (nezaslužen)unjustified
Dutch ongerechtvaardigd, onbevoegd
- ongerechtvaardigdbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
- onbevoegdbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
- ongegrondunjustified
- ongerechtvaardigdunjustified
- onverantwoordunjustified
German unberechtigt, unbefugt
- unberechtigtbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
- unbefugtbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
- ungerechtfertigtunjustified
- unbegründetunjustified
Icelandic ástæðulaus, óréttmætur
- ástæðulausbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
- óréttmæturbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
- óréttlætanlegurbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
- óafsakanlegurbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
Italian ingiustificato, immotivato
- ingiustificatounjustified
- immotivatounjustified
Norwegian Bokmål utilbørlig, upassende
- utilbørligunjustified
- upassendeunjustified
Spanish sin garantía
- sin garantíabeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
Swedish otillbörlig, orättmätig
- otillbörligbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
- orättmätigbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
- oskäligbeing without warrant, authority or guaranty
Cite this entry
unwarranted. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unwarranted
“unwarranted.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unwarranted. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unwarranted,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unwarranted.
Source: unwarranted on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.