Inapposite

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈæpəzɪt/

Definitions

1. Not relevant or suitable to the particular situation or context being discussed
2. Not appropriate or fitting for the given circumstances or context at hand
3. Lacking relevance or suitability to the specific situation being addressed

Etymology: Inapposite is a plain compound: the prefix "in-", meaning "not", attached to "apposite", which means fitting or suited to the occasion. "Apposite" itself comes from Latin "appositus", the past participle of "apponere", "to place near or add to", built from "ad" ("to") and "ponere" ("to put"). So the root idea is of something set beside something else, and a remark that fits well is one that sits neatly against the matter at hand. The negative prefix does the work here. An inapposite comment is one that has been placed beside the conversation but does not sit against it at all, so the meaning is that the thing is out of place rather than merely unhelpful. The English sense of "apposite" as suitable developed from the literal sense of placing things side by side, and "inapposite" follows the same logic in reverse.

Synonyms: irrelevant, inappropriate, unsuitable, unrelated, inconsistent

Antonyms: appropriate, relevant, fitting, suitable, pertinent