If something is unrepresentative, it does not show what the whole group is really like. A sample of ten people from one office is unrepresentative of a whole country — whatever those ten say, you cannot use it to speak for everyone. You meet it most in talk about surveys, tests, and research: an unrepresentative sample, an unrepresentative group. It comes with of: unrepresentative of the population, unrepresentative of the wider membership.

If something is unrepresentative如果某個東西是unrepresentative, it does not show what the whole group is really like它就沒有呈現出整個群體真正的樣子。A sample of ten people from one office is unrepresentative of a whole country從一間辦公室抽出十個人的樣本，對整個國家來說是unrepresentative的 — whatever those ten say, you cannot use it to speak for everyone不管這十個人說什麼，你都不能拿來代表所有人。You meet it most in talk about surveys, tests, and research最常在講調查、測驗和研究時遇到這個字: an unrepresentative sample, an unrepresentative group像an unrepresentative sample（不具代表性的樣本）、an unrepresentative group（不具代表性的群體）。It comes with of它後面接of: unrepresentative of the population, unrepresentative of the wider membership像unrepresentative of the population（不能代表整體人口）、unrepresentative of the wider membership（不能代表更廣泛的成員）。

There is a second use, about power. A committee, a parliament, or a board can be called unrepresentative when the people on it are not a fair mirror of the people they are supposed to speak for — all one age, all one background. "An unrepresentative committee" is a complaint, not a description.

There is a second use, about power還有第二種用法，跟權力有關。A committee, a parliament, or a board can be called unrepresentative委員會、國會或董事會都可能被說成unrepresentative when the people on it are not a fair mirror of the people they are supposed to speak for當上面的成員無法公平反映出他們該代表的那些人 — all one age, all one background——全都同一個年齡層、同一種背景。"An unrepresentative committee" is a complaint, not a description『An unrepresentative committee』是一種抱怨，不只是描述。

And a small third use: an unrepresentative day, an unrepresentative performance — a day or a game that was not the usual thing, so do not judge by it.

And a small third use還有一個比較小的第三種用法: an unrepresentative day, an unrepresentative performance像an unrepresentative day、an unrepresentative performance — a day or a game that was not the usual thing指不尋常的一天或一場比賽, so do not judge by it所以不要拿它來評斷。

Two cautions. The word says a thing is a bad sample; it does not say the thing is bad in itself. An unrepresentative day at work might have been a wonderful day. And a single unusual case is not automatically unrepresentative — it becomes unrepresentative only when someone tries to make it stand for the group.

Two cautions有兩個要注意的地方。The word says a thing is a bad sample這個字是在說某樣東西是個不好的樣本; it does not say the thing is bad in itself不是說那樣東西本身很糟。An unrepresentative day at work might have been a wonderful day工作上unrepresentative的一天，可能其實是很棒的一天。And a single unusual case is not automatically unrepresentative而單一個不尋常的案例不會自動就是unrepresentative — it becomes unrepresentative only when someone tries to make it stand for the group只有當有人想拿它來代表整個群體時，它才變成unrepresentative。