Unfit Meaning
/ʌnˈfɪt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjNot fit; not having the correct requirements.
adjNot fit, not having a good physical demeanor.
Sentence Examples
This fish is unfit to eat.
Not that I dislike the job, but that I am unfit for it.
A businesswoman by day, Natasja leads a nightlife unfit for print.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The rusty machinery was ____ for safe operation in the factory.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old bridge was declared ____ for use by several heavy vehicles after the recent safety inspection this month 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 fit English unfit From un- + fit.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The latter engine was found unfit to take its return working at 5.35 p.m. from Luton, and No. 45616, Malta G.C., was provided by Kentish Town as substitute."
— 1953 April, “Notes and News: Locomotive Notes: London Midland Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 284:
"On September 7, 1993, Sharon Bottoms lost custody of her two-year-old son to her own mother. A Virginia judge found that her sexual relationship with her lover was immoral and rendered her an unfit parent."
— 1993 October, Nancy D. Polikoff, “Lesbian And Gay Parenting: What's At Stake?”, in Gay Community News, page 3:
"Wading through history, he noted that some eugenicists believed that the “distinction between the fit and the unfit could be drawn along racial lines,” and others would define a person as “feeble-minded.”"
— 2019 May 28, Ariane de Vogue, “Why Clarence Thomas wrote over a dozen pages on eugenics”, in CNN:
"Sadly, the station that proves to be the busiest - Blackpool Pleasure Beach - is unfit for purpose. It possesses a tiny canopy back from the platform that offers little in the way of shelter or amenities, other than a couple of benches."
— 2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 56:
"He [...] added that he was fearful Christianity, or rather Christians, had unfitted him for ascending the pure and undefiled throne of thirty pagan Kings before him."
— 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The rusty machinery was ____ for safe operation in the factory.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old bridge was declared ____ for use by several heavy vehicles after the recent safety inspection this month today.