uncomfortable

adjective

un·​com·​fort·​able

ˌən-ˈkəm(p)(f)-tər-bəl,

-ˈkəm(p)(f)-tə-bəl,

-ˈkəm(p)-fər-tə-bəl 

-ˈkəm(p)-fə-tə-bəl,

-ˈkəm-fər-bəl,

-ˈkəm-fə-bəl

1

: causing discomfort or annoyance

an uncomfortable chair

an uncomfortable performance

2

: feeling discomfort : uneasy

was uncomfortable with them

uncomfortably

ˌən-ˈkəm(p)(f)-tər-blē

-ˈkəm(p)(f)-tə-blē

-ˈkəm(p)-fər-tə-blē 

-ˈkəm(p)-fə-tə-blē

-ˈkəm-fər-blē

-ˈkəm-fə-blē

adverb

Synonyms

• comfortless
• discomforting
• harsh

Examples of uncomfortable in a Sentence

You look uncomfortable in that chair. Would you like to sit here instead?

The silence went on so long that it became very uncomfortable.

We were in the uncomfortable position of asking for money.

I was uncomfortable about talking to them.

She's uncomfortable being in the spotlight.

Recent Examples on the Web

Be realistic The most uncomfortable truth of the last few days has been how quickly firefighting efforts were overwhelmed and outmatched by the extreme fire conditions, Cohen said. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025

And all of this leads to an uncomfortable but inevitable question: What happens to Bazzite now? —Jason Evangelho, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025

Aviation may be one of the safest forms of transportation, but unexpected turbulence can be an uncomfortable or even dangerous experience for airline passengers. —Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2025

But the thumbsticks felt uncomfortable quite quickly, and the buttons proved a little noisy. —Simon Hill, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

uncomfortable

adjective

un·​com·​fort·​able ˌən-ˈkəm(p)(f)-tə(r)-bəl 

-ˈkəm(p)-fə(r)t-ə-bəl,

ˈən-

1

: causing discomfort

an uncomfortable chair

2

: feeling discomfort : uneasy

uncomfortably

-blē 

adverb