unreasonableness
unreasonableness
UK[ʌnˈriːz(ə)nəblnəs]US[ʌnˈriːz(ə)nəblnəs]
n
The quality or state of being unreasonable; lack of fairness, good sense, or sound judgment.
n
An unreasonable act, demand, or opinion.
Morpheme Breakdown
un
reason
ableness
un
not
reason
cause, justification
ableness
quality or state of being
Etymology
The word 'unreasonableness' is built upon the foundational Latin concept of ratio, which originally meant a "reckoning" or "calculation" and evolved to signify the faculty of logical thought. The suffix -able was attached to form 'reasonable,' meaning "endowed with reason" or "conforming to logic." The Germanic negative prefix un- then reverses this quality, creating 'unreasonable' to describe actions or judgments lacking logical foundation. Finally, the abstract noun-forming suffix -ness, also of Germanic stock, is appended to crystallize this negative quality into a state or attribute, resulting in the modern term denoting a lack of fairness or sound judgment.
Analysis
Structure: un (not) + reason (cause, justification) + ableness (quality or state of being)
- un: A prefix of Germanic origin (Old English un-), meaning "not." It functions as a negative particle.
- reason: A root of Latin origin (ratiōnem, accusative of ratiō, meaning "reckoning, understanding, motive"). It functions as the core noun denoting logic or justification.
- ableness: A suffix complex of Germanic origin, combining -able (from Latin -ābilis, meaning "capable of, fit for") and -ness (from Old English -nes, forming abstract nouns). It functions to create a noun indicating the quality or state of being capable of the root's action.
Examples
The sheer unreasonableness of their demands made negotiation impossible.
He was frustrated by the bureaucratic unreasonableness he encountered.
The judge cautioned the lawyer against any further unreasonableness in court.