unqualifiableadj.
/(ˌ)ʌnˈkwɒlᵻfʌɪəbl/, /(ˌ)ʌŋˈkwɒlᵻfʌɪəbl/, U.S. /ˌənˌkwɑləˈfaɪəb(ə)l/, /ˌənˌkwɔləˈfaɪəb(ə)l/ 1. Lacking the attributes or accomplishments required to qualify for something; incapable of attaining the necessary qualifications.
ΚΠ
1742 R. North & M. North Life F. North 271 He would not put the Seals to any Commissions to Persons unqualifiable.
1848 Tait's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 209/2 In France there has been..a gradual enlargement of the Republican party, especially amongst the unqualified, and by the present law the unqualifiable classes.
1906 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 19 May 1168/2 It was a lamentable thing that chemists should be ruined by unqualified persons and unqualifiable companies using the name of chemist without having anything to do with chemists.
1953 Times 9 July 3/5 There were trips and jaunts abroad which were wholly unqualifiable for expenses against profits.
2002 Times Educ. Suppl. (Nexis) 22 Mar. 27 These people will be seen as not simply unqualified but unqualifiable.
2.
a. That cannot be characterized as having specific qualities; indefinable; indescribable.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > inexpressibility > [adjective]
unsayinglyOE
wordlessa1200
unanemneda1225
unspeaking1340
untellablea1382
unenarrable1382
unspeakablea1400
ineffablec1450
inenarrablec1450
indicible1480
enarrable1482
inexplicable1502
inspeakable?1504
innominable1532
unoutspeakable1535
unexpressable1548
innarrable1554
inpronunciable1554
uncommunicable1555
inexprimablea1577
unexpressiblea1586
unutterablea1586
expressless1590
nameless1597
recountless1601
inutterable1603
indeclarable1610
unnameable1610
unreportable1611
speakless1612
unexpressivea1616
inexpressiblea1631
utterless1643
inexpressive1652
unwordablec1660
incommunicable1694
paintless1729
descriptionless1749
undelineable1767
describeless1799
indefinable1810
undescribable1818
unqualifiable1822
untelling1823
utterless1832
unpindownable1915
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [adjective] > not specified > that cannot be described
indescribable1794
unqualifiable1822
indescript1854
1822 T. C. Morgan Sketches Philos. Morals 335 Ministerial delinquency..seldom consists of tangible overt acts, but of numberless unqualifiable offences.
1896 F. Thilly tr. A. Weber Hist. Philos. 506 The assumption of a kind of mysterious substratum of phenomena, of an unqualified and unqualifiable something.
1928 Musical Q. 14 15 Of all the arts, music comes nearest to possessing that inexplicable and unqualifiable power of casting over us a spell.
2005 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 16 Oct. 42 It is precisely with such unqualifiable, gender-jiggling definitions of sexuality (and hence beauty) that Americans remain uncomfortable.
b. Indescribably bad; unspeakable; objectionable.Common in the 19th cent. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > [adjective] > worthy of disapproval > not worthy of approval
hard-favoured1595
implausible1602
unapprovable1647
objectionable1653
unexemplar1685
exceptionable1691
unexemplary1699
ceptionable1702
objectable1747
beastly1763
objectional1799
unqualifiable1823
funky1946
1823 New Times 11 Apr. There were repeated instances in which Parliament had resisted the unqualifiable demands of the Pope.
1844 St. James's Chron. 12 Oct. 1/4 All concur in condemning the unqualifiable conduct of the commander of the Basilisk.
1885 C. L. H. Dempster Maritime Alps vi. 91 The amours of Louise with a certain unqualifiable scamp.
1928 Musical Times 69 254/2 The unqualifiable stupidity of certain things.
1986 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 13 Oct. a7 It was an unqualifiable deluge of lies, threats, and blackmail.
3. That cannot be modified, limited, or restricted; not open to qualification.
ΚΠ
1837 Standard 8 Feb. 4/3 The voice of all possible misrepresentation is silenced by the unqualifiable testimony of facts.
1900 Independent 25 Oct. 2591/2 Can any one point to a postulate of a ‘right’ which..has been held to be absolute, unqualifiable by time, place or circumstance?
1964 New Phytologist 63 448 The title will mislead those who consider the word immunity to be unqualifiable and to mean exempt from infection.
2010 Australian (Nexis) 1 Dec. 18 Justice..is..the only one of the four [cardinal virtues] that qualifies as a ‘complete virtue’—Aristotle's term for an absolute and unqualifiable good.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adj.1742