unskilledadj.
/(ˌ)ʌnˈskɪld/, U.S. /ˌənˈskɪld/ 1.
a. Not skilled or expert in something; ignorant of; untrained or unable to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > [adjective] > in something spec.
unlearnedc1384
unknowna1393
unskilled1581
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > want of knowledge, ignorance > [adjective] > ignorant of something
unwittingc893
unwarec1374
unknowinga1398
ignorantc1425
unawares1549
unfraught1587
unintelligenta1616
unstudied1642
a stranger to1665
unconscious1678
unconscious1700
unskilled1725
oblivious1854
1581 T. Howell His Deuises sig. H.iiij Thus harte to faine vnskilde, in being whole is broke.
1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion iv. 59 In fingering some vnskild, but onelie vs'd to sing Vnto the others Harpe.
1693 J. Dryden tr. Persius Satires iii. 34 Down goes the Wretch at once; unskill'd to swim.
1717 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad III. ix. 568 Thy Youth as then in sage Debates unskill'd.
1725 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey I. iv. 1021 Thus he [spoke], unskill'd of what the fates provide!
1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. v. 77 Unskill'd to spell aright The oracles predictive of the woe.
1823 F. D. Hemans Vespers of Palermo iii. v. 59 If in this unskill'd, you stand alone Amidst our court of pleasure.
1863 H. Cox Inst. Eng. Govt. i. viii. 123 The members of the committee are usually unskilled in the rules of evidence.
b. Without const.
ΚΠ
1693 M. Prior To C'tess of Exeter 3 Unskill'd and young, yet something still I writ, Of Ca'ndish Beauty join'd to Cecil's Wit.
a1749 A. Hill Epil. 20 The world's wide stage..Sees some act nobly, others play unskill'd.
1819 P. B. Shelley Rosalind & Helen 55 An unskilled hand..had the marble warmed With that pathetic life.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. II. 94 Butter..melted from salt beef;..the unskilled might call it tallow.
1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 154 None of us unskilled individuals can..become physicians.
c. spec. Not skilled in some handicraft; devoid of technical training.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > [adjective] > unskilled in art or craft
inarcious1547
immechanical1740
unproficient1794
unmechanical1825
unskilled1851
atechnic1876
1851 H. Mayhew London Labour II. 323/1 With unskilled labourers it is otherwise.
1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. I. 4 Any able-bodied unskilled labourer earns as soon as he has arrived at man's estate.
2. Not involving or requiring skill; displaying lack of skill.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > [adjective] > displaying lack of skill
uncunning1387
unskilfula1586
unskilled1833
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > [adjective] > not involving or requiring skill
unskilled1833
button pushing1896
1833 H. Martineau Tale of Tyne i. 8 All works of tillage have been mixed up together under the name of unskilled labour.
1849 G. Ticknor Hist. Spanish Lit. I. 109 If their unskilled verses were preserved at all.
1869 J. A. Froude Short Stud. (1871) 337 Take the lowest and most unskilled labour of all, that of the peasant in the field.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.1581