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

Amid that delicate task, the central bank could fall under an uncomfortable political spotlight should Trump follow his previous pattern of publicly attacking Fed Chair Jerome Powell. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024

The fit of the Hi-X20 is comfortable and just firm enough to stay in place but not so tight as to feel uncomfortable. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Still, some of the kids were a bit uncomfortable with the pair's PDA. —Dory Jackson, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024

In the ad in question, Rudd and Rogen adopt a similar conversational pattern to the Virgin scene, but without the homophobia that makes the movie sequence uncomfortable for some viewers. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024

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