adjective un·re·gen·er·ate \ˌən-ri-ˈje-nə-rət, -ˈjen-rət\

Definition of unregenerate

  1. 1 :  not regenerate <the unregenerate condition of humanity> <unregenerate pagans>

  2. 2a :  not reformed :  unreconstructed <unregenerate liberals> <unregenerate Confederates>b :  obstinate, stubborn <struggling against unregenerate impulses> <his unregenerate competitiveness>



Did You Know?

There was a time when the adjective "regenerate" had more to do with being spiritually reborn than with being physically re-created; in the 16th century, "regenerate" was used of someone spiritually reborn. By the late 1500s, English speakers had added "un-" to "regenerate" to describe someone who refused to accept spiritual reformation. Since then, "unregenerate" has taken on a life of its own, gaining the extended specific meanings of "unconverted to a particular doctrinaire viewpoint," "persisting in a reactionary stand," or just plain "stubborn." Both "regenerate" and "unregenerate" trace back to the Latin genus, meaning "birth" or "descent."


First Known Use of unregenerate


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