[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/unsound.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / unsound

[← U](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/U/)

# unsound

«unsound» in Mova's school dictionary: **not safe or strong; in bad condition, like an unsound…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adjective (unsound)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Unsound means not safe or strong; in bad condition, like an unsound building or bridge. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/#m1)

2) Unsound reasoning, ideas or advice are not based on good sense or facts; wrong or unreliable. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/#m2)

3) (law, old-fashioned) «Of unsound mind» means a person who is mentally ill and cannot make responsible decisions. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In safety: an unsound wall, tree or ice can collapse. In maths and logic: an unsound argument gives a wrong conclusion. In law: «of unsound mind». It tells the reader something cannot be trusted.

### examples

- The old bridge was unsound, so it was closed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/#x1)
- Don't climb that tree – the branch is unsound. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/#x2)
- His argument was unsound because the facts were wrong. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/#x3)
- The ice looked thick but was unsound. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/#x4)
- The engineer said the walls were structurally unsound. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/#x5)
- That plan is financially unsound – it costs more than we have. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/#x6)

### note

Opposite: «sound» (safe, sensible). «Sound» here does not mean noise. «Of unsound mind» is an old legal phrase; today people say a person is unwell.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «unsound» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unsound/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.