ungovernable
/ənɡˈʌvɚnəbəl/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.26 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Not governable; unable to be governed.
adj
Unable to be managed or controlled.
Example Sentences
- "The concern about ungovernability in the United States often takes the form of complaints about “single-issue” politics and the limited influence and discipline of American political parties. Thus our next question is, Why are some modern societies to some degree ungovernable?"
- "While there is no mechanism to force a General Election, the internal wrangling within the Tory party may mean that ultimately the new PM will simply be so exhausted by the chaos that the country becomes ungovernable."
- "But “ungovernable” France is not alone in its bitter, intractable divisions."
- "a man with an ungovernable temper"
- "But now this visit of my soft warm hand in those so sensible parts had put every thing into such ungovernable fury that, disdaining all further preluding, and taking advantage of my commodious posture, he made the storm fall where I scarce patiently expected, and where he was sure to lay it"
Etymology
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 govern Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English governable English ungovernable From un- + governable.
Inflected Forms
more ungovernable (comparative)
most ungovernable (superlative)