unreasonable for + person or situation
Showing excess or unfairness
Use for when something is too much for someone or unsuitable in a situation.
The workload is unreasonable for one employee.
Unreasonable for or unreasonable in?
Use unreasonable for when something is excessive or unfair for a person or situation. Use unreasonable in when referring to behaviour or judgement in a specific matter.
Quick answer
Choosing between for and in
Unreasonable for usually describes demands, costs, or expectations affecting someone. Unreasonable in refers to someone's behaviour, attitude, or judgement in a particular context.
The rent is unreasonable for students.
She was unreasonable in her criticism.
The request seemed unreasonable for a beginner.
She was unreasonable in her criticism.
The request seemed unreasonable for a beginner.
Choose the pattern by meaning
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
unreasonable in + behaviour
Describing conduct or judgement
Use in before nouns related to behaviour or reactions.
He was unreasonable in his demands.
unreasonable to + verb
Evaluating actions
A common structure is unreasonable to plus verb.
It is unreasonable to expect immediate agreement.
See the difference in context
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Construction
Example
Meaning
unreasonable for
The price is unreasonable for local families.
The price is excessively high for them.
unreasonable in
She was unreasonable in her response.
Her response lacked fairness or good judgement.
unreasonable to + verb
It is unreasonable to ignore the data.
The action itself is unfair or illogical.
Common mistakes
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Using in for people affected
Use for when something is unfair or excessive for someone.
✕ The fee is unreasonable in retirees. ✓ The fee is unreasonable for retirees.Using for before behaviour
Use in when referring to conduct or reactions.
✕ He was unreasonable for his comments. ✓ He was unreasonable in his comments.Quick practice
Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
1. The deadline is unreasonable ___ new staff.
2. She was unreasonable ___ her complaints.
3. It is unreasonable ___ demand an answer today.
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Frequently asked questions
Can unreasonable for describe prices or deadlines?
Yes. It often refers to things that are unfair, excessive, or impractical for people.
Can unreasonable in describe attitudes?
Yes. It commonly describes behaviour, reactions, or judgement.
Is unreasonable with common?
It can appear in wider sentence structures, but it is not the main adjective pattern after unreasonable.
Related preposition guides
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