We have used the word 'becoming' and are aware of it means. But "unbecoming" was too much to handle!
A brief search to find the definition of the word "unbecoming" led us to the following definitions:
Use the adjective unbecoming when a person does something that's awkward or inappropriate, like using foul language at your grandmother's tea party.
As many other words in the English language, this one has another meaning too.
Sometimes the word unbecoming means "unattractive," as in, "I loved the light blue dress, but I thought the yellow dress was rather unbecoming."
"Could the first meaning be used in the context in which one wants to convey loss of trust?"
"Something so inappropriate or unbecoming that one loses trust in the other person?"
"A little indirect don't you think? But yeah perhaps it can be classified as a consequence of something unbecoming."
"How about 'undoing' something? eg. I made a project and my brother broke it. This was very unbecoming of him."
"Similarly, how about this? When she crashed the car, it was very unbecoming of her!"
"Here is another one. 'Her unbecoming behavior at the party tarnished her reputation."
These made up sentences sent us on an intriguing journey.
The question of are we using this word correctly, came up.
We went back to a sentence that made it easy for us to understand.
These young men were untrained and undisciplined and became involved in activities that were unbecoming to a liberation struggle.
Multiple interpretation emerged. Top most appeared to be 'undoing'.
"How about a sentence that uses the word to describe something unattractive?"
We found this.
Now Florence’s mama hadn’t a particle of taste, and Amy suffered deeply at having to wear a red instead of a blue bonnet, unbecoming gowns, and fussy aprons that did not fit.
The word 'unbecoming' made us ponder quite a bit. It somehow didn't seem like a word that we would use in daily conversations and perhaps would find it more in formal writing applications both fiction and non- fiction. While we had time to browse through its use in fiction, we didn't have the time nor the energy to look around for its use in non-fiction.
Dear reader, if you notice this word somewhere in a non-fiction space and feel the need to share with the young readers, please drop a message in the comments section.
Thank you for reading about our little adventure with a single word! Phew! :)
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