inordinate
Americanadjective
-
not within proper or reasonable limits; immoderate; excessive.
He drank an inordinate amount of wine.
- Synonyms:
- disproportionate, unreasonable, outrageous, exorbitant, extreme
- Antonyms:
- reasonable
-
unrestrained in conduct, feelings, etc..
an inordinate admirer of beauty.
-
disordered or uncontrolled.
-
not regulated; irregular.
Keeping such inordinate hours will not help with your sleep issues.
adjective
-
exceeding normal limits; immoderate
-
unrestrained, as in behaviour or emotion; intemperate
-
irregular or disordered
Other Word Forms
- inordinacy noun
- inordinately adverb
- inordinateness noun
Etymology
Origin of inordinate
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English inordinat, from Latin inordinātus “disordered,” equivalent to in- in- 3 + ordinātus “orderly, appointed”; ordain, ordinate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bunkers comprise only about 1%-2% of the golf course, yet take up an inordinate amount of a golfer’s energy and anxiety.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Depositing an inordinate amount of bins around town is just not the way to encourage people to properly dispose of their organic waste, he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2025
Early on in the park service, there was an inordinate focus on just the visitor experience.
From Slate • Aug. 13, 2025
"The report documents that AB, while at a social event related to CGF business, spent an inordinate amount of time with a volunteer of the opposite sex," the CGF added.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2025
Harry dawdled behind, taking an inordinate amount of time to do up his bag.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
