Unmatching

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not agreeing, corresponding or fitting together with something else ; having no equal partner or counterpart to go with it
2. Failing to correspond or harmonize with another item ; lacking a matching companion, such as a single sock without its pair
3. Not in agreement or harmony with something related ; standing alone without a partner or duplicate of the same kind

Etymology: "Unmatching" is simply "unmatch" with its ending added, and "unmatch" is built from "un-" attached to "match". The prefix "un-" is the ordinary English reversal that turns "tie" into "untie" or "do" into "undo", so the word means, in effect, to undo a match. "Match" itself has its own long history, coming from an Old English word for a companion or equal, and "unmatch" simply takes that sense in the opposite direction. Because "unmatch" is a plain compound rather than a coinage with a famous author, there is no particular story to tell beyond its parts. Its meaning follows directly from them: to separate what had been paired, or to be unlike what it is compared with, depending on how it is used.

Synonyms: mismatched, incongruous, dissimilar

Antonyms: matching, coordinated