Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

un|pre|dict|able /ʌ npr I d I ktəb ^ə l/ ADJ If you describe someone or something as unpredictable , you mean that you cannot tell what they are going to do or how they are going to behave. □  He is utterly unpredictable. □  …Britain's notoriously unpredictable weather. ●  un|pre|dict|ably ADV [usu ADV with v, ADV adj] □  Monthly costs can rise or fall unpredictably. □  …her son's unpredictably violent behavior to others. ●  un|pre|dict|abil|ity /ʌ npr I d I ktəb I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft with poss] □ [+ of ] …the unpredictability of the weather.

un|pre|pared /ʌ npr I peə ^r d/

1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are unprepared for something, you are not ready for it, and you are therefore surprised or at a disadvantage when it happens. □ [+ for ] I was totally unprepared for the announcement on the next day. □  Faculty members complain that their students are unprepared to do college-level work. □  We were caught completely unprepared.

2 ADJ If you are unprepared to do something, you are not willing to do it. □  He was unprepared to co-operate, or indeed to communicate.

un|pre|pos|sess|ing /ʌ npriːpəze s I ŋ/ ADJ If you describe someone or something as unprepossessing , you mean that they look rather plain or ordinary, although they may have good or special qualities that are hidden. [FORMAL ] □  We found the tastiest food in the most unprepossessing bars and cafés.

un|pre|ten|tious /ʌ npr I te nʃəs/ ADJ If you describe a place, person, or thing as unpretentious , you approve of them because they are simple in appearance or character, rather than sophisticated or luxurious. [APPROVAL ] □  The Tides Inn is both comfortable and unpretentious. □  …good, unpretentious pop music.

un|prin|ci|pled /ʌnpr I ns I p ^ə ld/ ADJ If you describe a person or their actions as unprincipled , you are criticizing them for their lack of moral principles and because they do things which are immoral or dishonest. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  It is a market where people can be very unprincipled and unpleasant. □  …the unprincipled behaviour of the prosecutor's office during the crisis.

un|print|able /ʌ npr I ntəb ^ə l/ ADJ If you describe something that someone has said or done as unprintable , you mean that it is so rude or shocking that you do not want to say exactly what it was. □  Her reply was unprintable. □  …some quite unprintable stories.

un|pro|duc|tive /ʌ nprədʌ kt I v/ ADJ Something that is unproductive does not produce any good results. □  Research workers are well aware that much of their time and effort is unproductive. □  …increasingly unproductive land.

un|pro|fes|sion|al /ʌ nprəfe ʃən ^ə l/ ADJ If you use unprofessional to describe someone's behaviour at work, you are criticizing them for not behaving according to the standards that are expected of a person in their profession. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  What she did was very unprofessional. She left abruptly about 90 minutes into the show. □  He was also fined $150 for unprofessional conduct.

un|prof|it|able /ʌ nprɒ f I təb ^ə l/

1 ADJ An industry, company, or product that is unprofitable does not make any profit or does not make enough profit. [BUSINESS ] □  …unprofitable state-owned industries. □  The newspaper is believed to have been unprofitable for at least the past decade.

2 ADJ Unprofitable activities or efforts do not produce any useful or helpful results. □  …an endless, unprofitable argument. □  The day proved frustratingly unprofitable.