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adj. Beyond any reasonable objection; irreproachable. un′ex·ception·a·bly adv. Usage Note: The adjectives unexceptionable and unexceptional are sometimes confused. Unexceptionable is derived from the word exception in its sense "objection," as in the idiom take exception. Thus unexceptionable means "not open to any objection": "By the end of the 1930's ... the prohibition against makeup had been lifted, and powder, lipstick, mascara and rouge had become unexceptionable parts of the beauty arsenal" (Liesl Schillinger). Unexceptional, in contrast, generally means "not exceptional, not varying from the usual": "His physical appearance must have been unexceptional, since few of those who knew him firsthand can recall anything about how he looked, other than the fact that he was small" (Daniel B. Silver). |
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