unpresidential

unpresidential — adjective

  • unpresidentialpositive
  • more unpresidentialcomparative
  • most unpresidentialsuperlative

1. acting or speaking in a way that is not proper or serious enough for a president

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

acting or speaking in a way that is not proper or serious enough for a president or someone in a very high political position

Example

The crowd found his angry speech unpresidential and many people walked out.

find + noun + adjective pattern

Yumi felt it was unpresidential for a leader to shout at reporters in public.

Common collocations
  • deeply unpresidential
  • unpresidential behavior
  • it is unpresidential to (verb)
  • find something unpresidential
Synonyms
  • undignified

    broader in meaning; can apply to anyone, not just political leaders

  • unstatesmanlike

    more specific to political leaders; similar formality and register

  • unbecoming

    general term for behavior that does not suit someone's role, position, or age

Antonyms
  • presidential

    the direct opposite; having the proper dignity expected of a president

  • dignified

    broader; describes calm, serious, and proper behavior

  • statesmanlike

    formal; describes wise, respected political leadership

Grammar Patterns

be + unpresidential

find + noun + unpresidential

unpresidential + noun

Usage Note

Often used in political news and commentary to describe a leader's controversial public statements or actions that are seen as lacking the expected dignity of high office.

Common Mistakes

His unpresidential table manners embarrassed his family.
His rude table manners embarrassed his family.
unpresidential should only be used for people in or running for very high political office, not for ordinary people.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe behavior that falls short of expected standards. Undignified is the broadest; it can apply to anyone who behaves without proper seriousness, from a teacher at a school event to a celebrity online. Unstatesmanlike is the closest to unpresidential, but it focuses specifically on the wisdom, calm, and diplomacy expected of a national leader rather than a president specifically. Unbecoming is a slightly old-fashioned word meaning behavior that does not suit someone's age, position, or role — for example, a chief executive wearing casual clothes to a formal ceremony. Unpresidential combines all of these ideas but is uniquely tied to the political context of a president or presidential candidate, making it the strongest term of criticism in American political commentary.

undignified ↗unstatesmanlikeunbecoming ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • it is unpresidential to [verb]
  • find [noun] unpresidential
  • considered unpresidential

Etymology

Old EnglishLatinEnglish

Formed by adding the prefix un- (meaning 'not') to presidential, which comes from the Latin word praesidere meaning 'to sit before' or 'to preside over'. The word entered American political language in the early 1900s as a way to describe conduct that does not match the dignity expected of the highest elected office.

First known use

1847

1847, in the meaning defined above