Onbeheersbaar

Onbeheersbaar is a Dutch adjective meaning uncontrollable or unmanageable. The word combines on-, a negating prefix, with beheersbaar, meaning controllable; therefore it denotes something that cannot be controlled, mastered, or restrained. The term is common in everyday speech as well as in technical, scientific, and literary contexts, where a situation, process, or object has escaped control or remains beyond effective governance.

In daily language, onbeheersbaar can describe weather that suddenly worsens, a crowd that cannot be directed, or a machine that behaves unpredictably. In science and engineering, onbeheersbaar describes dynamical systems or phenomena that exhibit chaotic or unstable behavior, requiring automatic safeguards or intervention. In psychology and behavioral sciences, it refers to impulses or actions perceived as not under voluntary control. In organizational or political contexts, it characterizes events or conditions that resist management or regulation by authorities.

As a term, onbeheersbaar is often used with care, because it can imply risk or danger; more precise alternatives include niet beheersbaar or phrases such as uit de hand gelopen or niet onder controle, depending on nuance.

See also: beheersing, controle, uit de hand lopen.