epäkunnollinen

Epäkunnollinen is a Finnish adjective that describes a person, behavior, or attitude that lacks respect, politeness, or proper manners. The term is formed by combining the negative prefix epä- with the root kunnollinen, which itself originates from kunni, meaning respect or honor, plus the adjectival suffix -linen. Together, the word literally conveys “not respectful” or “unrespectful.”

The word is mainly used in everyday speech and informal contexts to point out rude or impolite conduct. For example, a driver who cuts others in traffic might be called epäkunnollinen by witnesses, indicating that his behavior was socially inappropriate. Similarly, comments that disregard etiquette in a conversation can be described with epäkunnollinen to stress the breach of expected politeness.

Epäkunnollinen is sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to actions that violate cultural norms of courtesy, such as arriving late to a formal event or using a disrespectful tone when speaking with elders. The adjective is typically associated with the negative evaluation of personal conduct rather than with legal or formal sanction.

Although the word is common in spoken Finnish, it rarely appears in written legal texts or academic literature. Nonetheless, it is occasionally noted in dictionaries of colloquial Finnish as a stable compound that reflects social attitudes toward Decency.

The term has also found limited use in media discourse, where journalists might characterize a public figure’s remark as epäkunnollinen to underline perceived disrespect.