LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“unbecoming” in Latin

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

unbecoming
indecorus (not becoming, violating propriety; opposed to decorus; e.g., risus: ☞ indecens does not belong to standard prose; dedecorus and dedecorosus stand for “dishonoring, disgracing”): turpis (ugly, whether physically; opposed to pulcher; or morally, opposed to honestus; e.g., dress, manners, word): illiberalis (not worthy of a free-born man, i. e., gentleman; opposed to liberalis; e.g., jocus): parum verecundus (violating delicate and modest feeling; e.g., words, verba): indignus (unworthy of the person; e.g., in an unbecoming manner, indignum in modum): inhonestus (dishonorable, immoral; opposed to honestus): alienus (alien; not suited to the nature of anything; with dative, ablative [sometimes genitive] or ab). Unbecoming behavior, indignitas; mores turpes; turpitudo: unbecoming treatment, indignitas; or (if lasting or repeated) indignitates. To be unbecoming, indecorum (turpem, etc.) esse; dedecere or non decere; for anybody, aliquem: ☞ indecere is post-classical. It is unbecoming to, etc., indecorum est, or dedecet, or non decet, with infinitive: deforme est (it has an ugly look), with infinitive: anything is considered very unbecoming, aliquid ab honestate remotum ponitur; aliquid turpe putatur.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for unbecoming?
The usual Latin words for “unbecoming” are indecōrus, turpis, illīberālis; also indignus, inhonestus, aliēnus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.