What does unmarriageable mean?
Unmarriageable means not eligible or suitable for marriage. The word may describe a person whom others regard as impossible or undesirable to marry, but it can also have a legal or financial use: historically, it referred to property that could not pass to a husband or wife. Because it sounds formal and somewhat old-fashioned, unmarriageable often appears in historical novels, legal discussion, or deliberately formal writing. Its force comes from combining the ordinary prefix un- with marriageable, producing a categorical sense of unsuitability rather than merely describing someone who is unmarried or has not found a partner. The term is therefore useful when the issue is eligibility or suitability for marriage itself, not simply the present marital status of a person.
adjectiveNot suitable or eligible for marriage. It may also mean unfit or unsuitable for a proposed marriage.
- Not suitable or eligible for marriage.
"Herodotus presented the king's daughter as unmarriageable because of her family's reputation."
"The committee declared the property unmarriageable because it could not be transferred to a spouse."
"In the novel, she is presented as an unmarriageable eccentric whom no eligible suitor will accept."
Unmarriageable delivers the final verdict on a proposed marriage before the wedding can begin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unmarriageable come from?
Unmarriageable is formed by adding the negative prefix un- to marriageable. Marriageable comes from marriage plus the suffix -able, while marriage ultimately derives through Old French from Latin roots connected with marrying. The related English words marital, matrimony, and matrimonial belong to the same Latin-based family of marriage vocabulary.
Related word forms
How unmarriageable is actually used
The word is uncommon in modern English and has a formal, literary, or historical tone. Depending on context, it can describe a person considered unsuitable for marriage or a property that cannot pass to a spouse.
Easily confused with unmarriageable
Unmarriageable means ineligible or unsuitable for marriage, whereas unmanageable means impossible to control, handle, or manage.