Unconstitutional

How to spell unconstitutional

16 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce unconstitutional

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unconstitutional mean?

1. adjectiveNot in accordance with, or contrary to, the fundamental laws or principles of a constitution.

Unconstitutional in a sentence

• The court ruled that the new tax was unconstitutional and struck it down.

• Critics argued the surveillance powers were plainly unconstitutional.

Where does unconstitutional come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on the Latin verb constituere, meaning 'to set up' or 'to establish', which combines the prefix con- ('together') with statuere ('to cause to stand' or 'to set in place'). From that root English gained 'constitution', originally the way something is arranged or composed, and later the body of fundamental laws by which a state is organised. The adjective 'constitutional' followed in the 1600s, and the negative 'unconstitutional' appeared in the eighteenth century to describe an action that conflicts with those founding laws, a sense that grew especially prominent in legal and political argument after the American and other written constitutions came into force. The same statuere root sits inside familiar relatives such as 'statute', 'institute' and 'destitute', which is a useful reminder that the tricky middle is spelled with a 't' (consti-TUT-ional), not a 'ch' sound spelled out, even though it is pronounced 'tu'.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• con- (together)
• stitut (from Latin statuere: to set up, establish)
• -ion (noun)
• -al (adjective)