Unwillkommene

Unwillkommene is a German adjective meaning unwelcome or unwanted. It describes people, objects, or events that are not greeted with approval or are regarded with disfavor. In everyday language, phrases such as unwillkommene Gäste, unwillkommene Nachrichten, or unwillkommene Entwicklungen are common to denote something or someone not accorded a welcome.

Etymology and form: The word combines the negating prefix un- with willkommen, meaning welcome. As a modifier, unwillkommene follows normal German inflection: it can appear as feminine singular (eine unwillkommene Situation), as masculine singular (ein unwillkommener Gast), or as attributive plural (unwillkommene Gäste). Predicatively, the form may appear as unwillkommen: Die Gäste sind unwillkommen. The attributive form unwillkommene is therefore a versatile adjective form used before nouns, with endings determined by gender and number.

Usage and nuance: The term conveys a stronger disapproval than simply nicht willkommen and is common in journalism, politics, and literary prose to describe unwelcome opinions, visitors, or news. It often carries a sense of social or practical disfavor. Synonyms include unerwünscht (more neutral) and nicht willkommen; the opposite concept is willkommene (or etwas, das willkommen ist), as in willkommene Nachrichten.

See also: Related terms include unerwünscht and nicht willkommen. The word is part of everyday German usage and appears across spoken and written registers, from casual speech to formal writing.