Unaccountable Meaning
/ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbl̩/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjInexplicable; unable to be accounted for or explained.
adjNot responsible; free from accountability or control.
Sentence Examples
Your movements were unaccountable.
He knew it was so, with an unaccountable but instantaneous certainty.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The CEO was ____ for the company's huge losses because he always blamed his employees for mistakes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His sudden change of mind was completely ____ to his friends, as he had always expressed very different views today.
Word Origin & History
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 accountable English unaccountable From un- + accountable.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And the having individually entertained four such resolves, without perceiving that once brought together, they all mutually expire; this, this ineffable folly, Pierre, brands thee in the forehead for an unaccountable infatuate!"
— 1852, Herman Melville, Pierre; or The Ambiguities:
"If only Poirot had been accessible, I could have asked his advice. What possessed him to go posting off to London in this unaccountable way?"
— 1920, Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, London: Pan Books, published 1954, page 134:
"However, for some unaccountable reason, these trains used the small terminus which can still be seen at Oxford Road, thus tending to isolate the line from its parent companies' systems."
— 1957 October 26, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Manchester—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 721:
"Thailand has dropped legislation to criminalise torture and disappearances after years of working on the bill, the United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday, leaving state employees unaccountable for serious crimes."
— 2017 March 1, “UN slams Thai 'culture of torture'”, in Bangkok Post:
"Graeme Bickerdike, a member of campaign organisation The HRE Group, told RAIL: "This infilling and demolition programme - costing much more than repair - has been conceived with no thought for its impact beyond the silos where distant, unaccountable officials manage their spreadsheets."
— 2021 May 5, Tony Streeter, “Network News: Disused structures "assets to be preserved", say MPs”, in RAIL, number 930, page 23:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The CEO was ____ for the company's huge losses because he always blamed his employees for mistakes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His sudden change of mind was completely ____ to his friends, as he had always expressed very different views today.