From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishundesirableun‧de‧sir‧a‧ble1 /ˌʌndɪˈzaɪərəbəl◂ $ -ˈzaɪr-/ ●○○ adjective formalWANT#something or someone that is undesirable is not welcome or wanted because they may affect a situation or person in a bad wayundesirable effects/consequences etc
The drug may have other undesirable effects.
punishment of undesirable behaviour► see thesaurus at badExamples from the Corpusundesirable• All of these potentialoutcomes are extremely undesirable.• I still remain of the view that that would be undesirable.• If the firm has a short-term or cyclical need for funds, a long-termobligation may be highly undesirable.• Many tried to make themselves deeply undesirable.• Even in situations of hardship, government action is undesirable because it can undermineindividualinitiative and independence.• The reward has gone and consequently the undesirablebehaviour may diminish or cease.• The incident could have undesirableconsequences for the government.• Environmentalistsclaim that the development will have undesirableeffects on animal habitats in the area.• Rent control laws can have a number of undesirable effects.• Mutualcooperation was undesirable from the generals' point of view, because it wasn't helping them to win the war.• The drug is effective, but has undesirable side effects, and long-term use can result in liverdamage.• There is no telling how fast an undesirablewife can be shot out the door.undesirable effects/consequences etc• Chlorinated phenols: Phenol agents are generally unsuitable for food use as they exhibit high odourcharacteristics and other undesirable effects.• Past introductions of new species into a strangeenvironment have sometimes had unforseen and undesirable consequences.• Some drugs are useful agents in the treatment of disease in man and animals but some may also produce undesirable effects.• It also considers the factors which cause undesirable consequences and suggestspolicydecisions and design methods for controlling these factors.• The undesirable effects of inflation are considered in greater detailChapter 27.Related topics: Crimeundesirableundesirable2 noun [countable usually plural]SCCBAD PERSONsomeone who is considered to be immoral, criminal, or socially unacceptable
security measures to keep out undesirablesExamples from the Corpusundesirable• She, like many others, is on a list of undesirablescollated by police intelligence in several different countries.• The investigations are intended to preventspies, criminals, securityrisks and other undesirables from entering government.• How could she go around with such undesirables?
