Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

2 ADJ [ADJ n] If you refer to a time as an unearthly hour, you are emphasizing that it is very early in the morning. [EMPHASIS ] □  They arranged to meet in Riverside Park at the unearthly hour of seven in the morning.

3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] An unearthly noise is unpleasant because it sounds frightening and unnatural. □  She heard the sirens scream their unearthly wail.

un|ease /ʌ niː z/

1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft with poss] If you have a feeling of unease , you feel rather anxious or afraid, because you think that something is wrong. □ [+ about ] Tommy began to feel deep unease about Gabe's story. □  We left with a deep sense of unease, because we knew something was being hidden from us.

2 N‑UNCOUNT If you say that there is unease in a situation, you mean that people are dissatisfied or angry, but have not yet started to take any action. □ [+ among ] He faces growing unease among ministers about the likelihood of war. □ [+ about ] …the depth of public unease about the economy.

un|easy /ʌniː zi/

1 ADJ If you are uneasy , you feel anxious, afraid, or embarrassed, because you think that something is wrong or that there is danger. □  He looked uneasy and refused to answer questions. □  I had an uneasy feeling that he was going to spoil it. ●  un|easi|ly /ʌniː z I li/ ADV [usu ADV after v, oft ADV adj] □  Meg shifted uneasily on her chair. □  He laughed uneasily. ●  un|easi|ness N‑UNCOUNT □  With a small degree of uneasiness, he pushed it open and stuck his head inside.

2 ADJ If you are uneasy about doing something, you are not sure that it is correct or wise. □ [+ about ] Richard was uneasy about how best to approach his elderly mother. ●  un|easi|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ about ] I felt a great uneasiness about meeting her again.

3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe a situation or relationship as uneasy , you mean that the situation is not settled and may not last. [JOURNALISM ] □  An uneasy calm has settled over the city. □  The uneasy alliance between these two men offered a glimmer of hope. ●  un|easi|ly ADV [usu ADV after v, oft ADV adj] □  …a country whose component parts fit uneasily together.

un|eco|nom|ic /ʌ niːkənɒ m I k, -ek-/

1 ADJ If you describe something such as an industry or business as uneconomic , you mean that it does not produce enough profit. [BUSINESS ] □  …the closure of uneconomic factories. □  The company said the service was uneconomic.

2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you say that an action or plan is uneconomic , you think it will cost a lot of money and not be successful or not be worth the expense. □  It would be uneconomic to try and repair it.

un|eco|nomi|cal /ʌ niːkənɒ m I k ^ə l, -ek-/ ADJ If you say that an action, a method, or a product is uneconomical , you mean that it does not make a profit. [BUSINESS ] □  It would be uneconomical to send a brand new book. □  The methods employed are old-fashioned and uneconomical. □  Even the successful flying boats proved, in the end, uneconomical.

un|edu|cat|ed /ʌ ne dʒʊke I t I d/ ADJ Someone who is uneducated has not received much education. □  Though an uneducated man, Chavez was not a stupid one. ● N‑PLURAL The uneducated are people who are uneducated. □  The poor and uneducated did worst under these reforms.