Page 240 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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U – Z

unavailable (UHN uh VAY li bl) adj. 1. that which cannot be obtained or had;
unreachable; 2. not willing to attend or serve (in a position)
• When Carol tried to get Gerald’s address, she found it to be unavailable.
• The senator from Arizona was unavailable to run as the candidate for vice
president.
[unavailably adv.]
unavoidable (UHN uh VOY di bl) adj. 1. something that can’t be avoided;
inevitable; 2. that cannot be nullified or voided
• When the car began to skid, hitting the lamppost was unavoidable.
• After the summons had been issued by the officer, the need to respond to
it was unavoidable.
[unavoidably adv.]
underestimate (UHN doer ES ti mayt) vt. to undervalue something; set an esti-
mate that is too low —n. too low an evaluation of something’s worth
• The appraiser underestimated the value of the painting in Diane’s living
room.
• Victor’s conception of how much study time was needed before taking his
finals proved to be an underestimate.
[-d, underestimating]
undermine (UHN der myn) vt. 1. to dig beneath; tunnel; mine; 2. to wear away
and weaken the supports of something; 3. to weaken or impair, especially by
stealthy or underhanded means
• The prisoners undermined the wall in an attempt to escape.
• The bridge’s supports had been undermined by the rushing waters of the
river below it.
• The authority of the government was undermined by the actions of the
guerrilla forces.
[-d, undermining*] [Syn. weaken]
undesirable (UHN diz YR i bl) adj. not desirable or pleasing; objectionable —n.
an undesirable person
• Using television as a babysitter might have an undesirable effect on the
children’s education.
• Speaking loudly in a library is considered undesirable behavior.
• Vagrants are often treated by society as undesirables.
[undesirably adv.]
unfetter (uhn FET ir) vt. to free from restraints of any kind; to liberate
• The coach needs to be unfettered so that she can experiment with using
different players at different positions.
• Unfetter the dog so that he may run about the yard.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. liberate]

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