- Today's Word
Unconscionable
un-KON-shun-uh-bul
Definition
(adjective) Shockingly unfair or unethical; so morally unacceptable that no reasonable person could justify or defend it.
Example
The jury found the insurance company’s denial of coverage for the child’s treatment to be unconscionable.
Word Origin
From un- (“not”) + conscionable, which derives from conscience — from Latin conscientia (“joint knowledge, inner awareness”), built from con- (“together”) + scire (“to know”). To be conscionable is to act within the limits of one’s conscience. To be unconscionable is to act so far outside those bounds that no reasonable conscience could accept it.
Fun Fact
“Unconscionable” is one of the few moral words that has its own legal doctrine. In contract law, the “unconscionability doctrine” allows courts to void contracts that are so one-sided or oppressive that enforcing them would be morally indefensible. It’s a rare instance where a court explicitly invokes ethics — not just law — to rule on a case. The doctrine was significantly expanded in the 1960s consumer rights era, when courts began striking down predatory lending contracts and exploitative fine-print agreements on exactly these grounds.