📖 U — The English dictionary · page 15

unnecessarily — Everyday, meaning 1: In a way that is not needed; more than is needed, for no good reason.↗ Example: Don't tease the dog unnecessarily.↗ · The teacher did not shout unnecessarily.↗ · Cut out any words that are unnecessarily long.↗

unnecessary — Everyday, meaning 1: Not needed; you could do without it and nothing would go wrong.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: More than is needed or fair, as in unnecessary cruelty or unnecessary noise.↗ Example: It is unnecessary to bring a coat; it is sunny today.↗ · Cross out the unnecessary numbers in the word problem.↗ · Don't take unnecessary risks near the river.↗ · That was a totally unnecessary comment, Liam.↗ · Running the tap while you brush your teeth wastes unnecessary water.↗ · The teacher said a calculator was unnecessary for this test.↗ · Please avoid unnecessary noise in the library.↗

unnoticed — Everyday, meaning 1: Unnoticed means not seen or noticed by anyone: he slipped out unnoticed.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Something that goes unnoticed is not paid attention to: her hard work went unnoticed.↗ Example: The mouse ran across the floor unnoticed.↗ · Her kindness did not go unnoticed.↗ · He crept into the kitchen unnoticed and took a biscuit.↗ · The mistake went unnoticed until the end of the test.↗ · Small leaks can go unnoticed for weeks.↗ · The cat sat unnoticed on the top shelf.↗ · Unnoticed by me, she had gradually become a beautiful maiden, and I was now also a stout, strong youth.↗

unobjectionable — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) Unobjectionable means not likely to upset or annoy anyone; acceptable, though often not exciting.↗ Example: The film was unobjectionable, with no rude words or scary scenes.↗ · The teacher chose an unobjectionable song for the assembly.↗ · Plain toast is an unobjectionable breakfast for a sick child.↗ · His comments were polite and unobjectionable.↗ · The new rule seemed unobjectionable, so everyone agreed.↗ · The food was unobjectionable but not very tasty.↗

unobserved — Everyday, meaning 1: Not seen or noticed by anyone.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (science) Not yet watched or recorded.↗ Example: The cat crept into the kitchen unobserved.↗ · She left the party unobserved.↗ · Never leave a toddler unobserved near a pool.↗ · The rare bird had gone unobserved for many years.↗ · The thief hoped to pass unobserved.↗ · Scientists set up cameras so the animals were watched, not unobserved.↗

unoccupied — Everyday, meaning 1: Unoccupied means empty, with nobody using it or living in it: an unoccupied house.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An unoccupied seat has no one sitting in it.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Unoccupied can also mean not busy, with nothing to do.↗ Example: Of the 50 seats, 38 are occupied.↗ How many are unoccupied?↗ · 12 rooms in the hotel are unoccupied.↗ · Half the tables were unoccupied.↗ · How many seats are unoccupied?↗ · The old house has been unoccupied for years.↗ · Is this seat unoccupied?↗ · The toilet sign shows green when it is unoccupied.↗ · As he wandered about in search of food and shelter, he came to a cave, which he entered and found to be unoccupied.↗

unofficial — Everyday, meaning 1: Not done or agreed by the people in charge; not formal or approved.↗ e.g. "an unofficial result", "an unofficial club".↗ Example: The unofficial result shows our team won.↗ · Only download games from official stores, not unofficial websites.↗ · He is the unofficial class clown.↗ · We have an unofficial club that meets at lunch.↗ · It was an unofficial world record because no judge was there.↗ · The unofficial news turned out to be wrong.↗

unofficially — Everyday, meaning 1: Unofficially means not in an official or formal way; not approved, announced or recorded by the people in charge.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Unofficially can mean privately or secretly, before something is officially said.↗ Example: Unofficially, Mia is the class's best speller.↗ · The race was unofficially timed with a phone.↗ · He was unofficially in charge of the snacks.↗ · Unofficially, the teacher said we'd get a longer break.↗ · The hill is unofficially called Dragon's Back.↗ · The record was set unofficially, so it doesn't count.↗

unopened — Everyday, meaning 1: Unopened means not opened yet; still closed or sealed.↗ Example: There was an unopened letter on the table.↗ · Keep the juice in the fridge once it is opened; unopened cartons can stay in the cupboard.↗ · Three presents were still unopened.↗ · Return the toy unopened if you want a refund.↗ · The mystery box lay unopened in the attic.↗ · Never eat food from a packet that looks unopened but is damaged.↗

unpack — Everyday, meaning 1: To take things out of a bag, suitcase or box.↗ e.g. "unpack your suitcase".↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To explain something step by step so it is easier to understand.↗ e.g. "Let's unpack this question."↗ Example: Please unpack your bag and hang up your coat.↗ · We unpacked the shopping and put it away.↗ · It took a week to unpack after moving house.↗ · Let us unpack the word problem: what do we know?↗ · She unpacked her suitcase as soon as we got home.↗ · Unpack the box carefully; the plates might break.↗ · But then the rose-tree with the beautiful rose was unpacked.↗

unpaid — Everyday, meaning 1: (of a bill or money) Not paid yet: unpaid bills.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (of work or a person) Done or working without getting money: unpaid work, an unpaid helper.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Unpaid leave: time off work without pay.↗ Example: The letter was about an unpaid bill.↗ · Volunteers do unpaid work at the animal shelter.↗ · The bike cost $150 and Sam has paid $90, so $60 is still unpaid.↗ · She took unpaid leave to look after her baby.↗ · Unpaid fines can grow bigger.↗ · Helping at home is unpaid but important.↗ · Finding that the cause of this punishment is an unpaid debt of fifty roubles, Nikita ransoms the greybeard, who straightway disappears.↗

unpainted — Everyday, meaning 1: Unpainted means not covered with paint.↗ Example: The garden shed is still unpainted.↗ · We bought an unpainted wooden box to decorate.↗ · The model aeroplane is unpainted grey plastic.↗ · Unpainted metal can rust in the rain.↗ · A cube has 6 faces; if 2 are painted, 4 are unpainted.↗ · The new room had bare, unpainted walls.↗

unpaired — Everyday, meaning 1: Unpaired means not in a pair, without a partner or match: an unpaired sock.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (science) In science, an unpaired thing has no partner where you would expect one, for example an unpaired electron or an unpaired organ like the heart.↗ Example: After the wash there was one unpaired sock.↗ · With 25 children in pairs, one child is left unpaired.↗ · An odd number always leaves one item unpaired.↗ · The teacher partnered the unpaired pupil herself.↗ · The heart is an unpaired organ, but we have two lungs.↗ · Put the shoes in pairs and find the unpaired one.↗

unpalatable — Everyday, meaning 1: Unpalatable food or drink tastes unpleasant.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An unpalatable fact or idea is unpleasant and hard to accept: «the unpalatable truth».↗ Example: The hospital food was cold and unpalatable.↗ · Monarch butterflies are unpalatable to birds.↗ · The unpalatable truth was that we had lost every match.↗ · The medicine was unpalatable, so Mum mixed it with juice.↗ · The council faced an unpalatable choice between closing the library and the pool.↗ · Burnt porridge is completely unpalatable.↗

unparalleled — Everyday, meaning 1: So good, big or great that nothing else is like it or equal to it.↗ Example: Her bravery was unparalleled.↗ · The view from the hill was unparalleled.↗ · Babrius's fables are unparalleled in their wit.↗

unpersuasive — Everyday, meaning 1: Unpersuasive means not good at making people believe or agree with something; not convincing.↗ Example: His excuse that the dog ate his homework was unpersuasive.↗ · The advert was colourful but unpersuasive.↗ · Give evidence, or your argument will be unpersuasive.↗ · The judge found the story unpersuasive.↗ · Shouting louder doesn't make an unpersuasive point stronger.↗ · The team's case for no homework was unpersuasive.↗

unpick — Everyday, meaning 1: To unpick is to take out the stitches of sewing or knitting carefully, one by one.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (figurative) To take apart a problem, plan or argument carefully to understand it or undo it.↗ Example: I sewed it wrong, so I had to unpick the seam.↗ · Use the seam ripper to unpick the stitches.↗ · Nan unpicked the old jumper to reuse the wool.↗ · Let's unpick this word problem step by step.↗ · The detective unpicked the story bit by bit.↗ · It took an hour to unpick the knots.↗ · "All the embroidery is unpicked," said the Princess, sighing.↗

unpigmented — Everyday, meaning 1: Unpigmented means without pigment, the natural colouring in skin, hair, eyes, plants or paint, so it looks white, pale or clear.↗ Example: Albino animals have unpigmented fur.↗ · Some cave fish are unpigmented and nearly see-through.↗ · The unpigmented part of the leaf is white.↗ · A white streak of unpigmented hair ran through his fringe.↗ · Mix the pigment into the unpigmented paint.↗ · Unpigmented skin burns easily in the sun.↗

unplanned — Everyday, meaning 1: Unplanned means not planned or expected; it happened without being arranged first.↗ Example: We made an unplanned stop at the beach because the sun came out.↗ · The fire drill was unplanned, so it felt real.↗ · The car repair was an unplanned cost.↗ · Our picnic turned into an unplanned water fight.↗ · The baby's early arrival was unplanned.↗ · Some of the best adventures are unplanned.↗

unpleasant — Everyday, meaning 1: Unpleasant means not nice or not enjoyable: an unpleasant smell, unpleasant weather.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An unpleasant person is unkind or rude.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (euphemism) «Unpleasantness» can be a polite word for a fight, a quarrel or a war.↗ Example: The rotten eggs had a very unpleasant smell.↗ · It was an unpleasant day: cold, wet and windy.↗ · Don't be unpleasant to your brother.↗ · Getting a needle at the doctor's is unpleasant, but it keeps you healthy.↗ · I had an unpleasant surprise when I found a slug in my shoe.↗ · After some unpleasantness at the meeting, everyone went home.↗ · There another unpleasant surprise awaited him.↗

unploughed — Everyday, meaning 1: Unploughed land has not been dug up and turned over with a plough, so it is still grass, stubble or wild ground.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Unploughed roads or paths have not had the snow cleared by a snowplough.↗ Example: The unploughed meadow was full of wild flowers.↗ · Rabbits live at the edge of the unploughed field.↗ · After the blizzard, our street was still unploughed.↗ · Settlers ploughed up miles of unploughed prairie.↗ · Leaving strips unploughed helps bees and birds.↗ · The bus could not drive up the unploughed hill.↗

unplug — Everyday, meaning 1: To unplug means to pull a plug out of an electric socket so a machine is off.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To unplug also means to remove something that is blocking a pipe or hole.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To unplug can mean to take a break from screens and phones.↗ Example: Unplug the toaster before you clean it.↗ · Dad unplugged the lamp because the bulb was hot.↗ · Hold the plug, not the cable, when you unplug it.↗ · Never unplug anything with wet hands.↗ · Unplug your charger when your phone is full.↗ · The plumber unplugged the blocked drain.↗ · This weekend we're unplugging: no screens!↗ · If something smells burning, tell an adult to unplug it.↗

unpointed — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Written without the little dots and dashes that show vowels.↗ Example: Letters and Sounds, The three Hebrew words here given are, in unpointed Hebrew, SPR, SPR and SIPUR.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · God of Israel, Here the word God is ALHI, which in unpointed Hebrew might be God, or Gods, or My God.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

unpopular — Everyday, meaning 1: Unpopular means not liked by many people or by most people.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An unpopular decision, rule or idea is one many people disagree with.↗ Example: The new uniform was very unpopular with the pupils.↗ · Broccoli is unpopular in our house.↗ · The king became unpopular when he raised taxes.↗ · It was an unpopular decision, but it was the right one.↗ · Being unpopular for a while is better than being unkind.↗ · The film was unpopular at first but is now loved.↗ · Her hard rule made her very unpopular, and it was commonly believed that she had made away with Prince Alphege.↗

unprecedented — Everyday, meaning 1: Never happened or done before; the first of its kind.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Much greater than ever before: unprecedented numbers.↗ Example: The town had unprecedented flooding this spring.↗ · The school saw an unprecedented number of entries for the art show.↗ · The team's ten wins in a row were unprecedented.↗ · Scientists recorded unprecedented heat in the city.↗ · It was an unprecedented step for a child to speak at the meeting.↗ · The book sold in unprecedented numbers.↗

unpredictable — Everyday, meaning 1: Unpredictable means impossible to know or say beforehand what will happen.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An unpredictable person or animal behaves in ways you cannot guess, sometimes calm and sometimes not.↗ Example: British weather is unpredictable, so take a coat.↗ · A dice roll is unpredictable.↗ · Wild animals can be unpredictable – don't feed them.↗ · The ending of the book was unpredictable.↗ · Earthquakes are hard to predict, so they seem unpredictable.↗ · My little sister's moods are unpredictable.↗ · The match was unpredictable until the last minute.↗