inordinate

adjective

in·​or·​di·​nate in-ˈȯr-də-nət 

-ˈȯrd-nət

1

: exceeding reasonable limits : immoderate

2

archaic : disorderly, unregulated

inordinately adverb

inordinateness noun

Did you know?

Although today it describes something that exceeds reasonable limits, inordinate used to be applied to what does not conform to the expected or desired order of things. That sense, synonymous with disorderly and unregulated, is no longer in use, but it offers a hint as to the origins of inordinate. The word traces back to the Latin verb ordinare, meaning “to arrange,” combined with the negating prefix in-. Ordinare is also the ancestor of such English words as coordination, ordain, ordination, and subordinate. The Latin root comes from the noun ordo, meaning “order” or “arrangement,” from which the English word order and its derivatives originate.

Synonyms

• baroque
• devilish
• excessive
• exorbitant
• extravagant
• extreme
• fancy
• immoderate
• insane
• intolerable
• lavish
• overdue
• overextravagant
• overmuch
• overweening
• plethoric
• steep
• stiff
• towering
• unconscionable
• undue
• unmerciful

Choose the Right Synonym for inordinate

excessive, immoderate, inordinate, extravagant, exorbitant, extreme mean going beyond a normal limit.

excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.

excessive punishment

immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.

immoderate spending

inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.

inordinate pride

extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.

extravagant claims for the product

exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.

exorbitant prices

extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.

extreme shyness

Examples of inordinate in a Sentence

I waited an inordinate amount of time.

They have had an inordinate number of problems with the schedule.

Recent Examples on the Web

Thrust into the rotation earlier than anticipated due to the Hornets’ inordinate amount of injuries, Salaün’s first year as a professional took an accelerated pace at the outset, speeding at the rate of a fine car traversing the Autobahn. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2025

Markets dislike uncertainty, and the new global tariff wars are creating an inordinate amount of uncertainty, hence the large decline in asset prices this past week. —Sal Gilbertie, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

To that point, why is the federal government granting an inordinate amount of H-1B visas funneling foreign graduates to fill the burgeoning need for engineers and scientists? —Martin Potters, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025

The response was an excessive and inordinate expenditure of resources. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English inordinat, from Latin inordinatus, from in- + ordinatus, past participle of ordinare to arrange — more at ordain

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for inordinate

• coordinate
• ordinate
• superordinate

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

inordinate

adjective

in·​or·​di·​nate in-ˈȯrd-ᵊn-ət 

-ˈȯrd-nət

: going beyond reasonable limits : immoderate

an inordinate curiosity

inordinately adverb