📖 U — The English dictionary · page 2

unable — Everyday, meaning 1: Unable means not able to do something, because you cannot or are not allowed to: «unable to come».↗ Example: I was unable to finish my homework because I was ill.↗ · Penguins are unable to fly.↗ · The firefighters were unable to reach the cat.↗ · She was unable to sleep because of the storm.↗ · We are unable to come to the party.↗ · The baby is unable to walk yet.↗ · He was unable to answer the question.↗ · She sat dumb and shamefaced, unable to reply.↗ · Go and count further, what the mouth is unable to pronounce, and the ear is unable to hear.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · The Sefer Yetzirah gives the factorials up to that of seven and concludes the Mishnah by saying: "Go and count further, what the mouth is unable to pronounce, and the ear is unable to hear."↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

unacceptable — Everyday, meaning 1: Unacceptable means not good enough or not allowed, so it cannot be accepted.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Unacceptable behaviour is behaviour that is wrong and must stop, like bullying or hitting.↗ Example: Bullying is unacceptable in our school.↗ · The head teacher said the mess in the toilets was unacceptable.↗ · Being rude to the dinner ladies is unacceptable.↗ · The shop said a torn receipt was unacceptable.↗ · The water in the old pipes had unacceptable levels of lead.↗ · The judge called the driver's speed unacceptable.↗ · An answer with no working is unacceptable in this test.↗

unaccompanied — Everyday, meaning 1: Unaccompanied means alone, without anyone going with you.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An unaccompanied child or minor is a child travelling or staying somewhere without a parent or guardian.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In music, unaccompanied means sung or played alone, without other instruments.↗ Example: Children under eight must not swim unaccompanied.↗ · The airline looked after the unaccompanied child.↗ · Report any unaccompanied bags to staff.↗ · The choir sang unaccompanied.↗ · No unaccompanied children in the shop, please.↗ · She travelled unaccompanied for the first time.↗ · The unaccompanied dog wandered down the street.↗

unaccountable — Everyday, meaning 1: Unaccountable means strange and impossible to explain.↗ Example: It was an unaccountable mistake.↗ · The dog's unaccountable disappearance worried us.↗ · Some of the old myths have unaccountable ideas.↗

unaccountably — Everyday, meaning 1: Unaccountably means in a strange way that cannot be explained.↗ Example: He unaccountably refused the gift.↗ · She was unaccountably quiet all day.↗ · The bus unaccountably disappeared.↗

unaccustomed — Everyday, meaning 1: Unaccustomed to something means not used to it, because you have not done it or felt it often: «unaccustomed to the cold».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Unaccustomed also means unusual or not normal for someone: «He spoke with unaccustomed anger.».↗ Example: The children from Florida were unaccustomed to snow.↗ · Unaccustomed to waking so early, Leo yawned all morning.↗ · My eyes were unaccustomed to the dark cave.↗ · Gran, unaccustomed to phones, pressed every button.↗ · She spoke with unaccustomed sharpness, so we knew she was upset.↗ · Being unaccustomed to the heat, the visitors stayed in the shade.↗ · After a while, however, he got tired of walking in this unaccustomed way—it made his back ache and his front paws felt sore.↗

unacquainted — Everyday, meaning 1: Unacquainted with something means not knowing about it or not having met it: «unacquainted with the rules».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Unacquainted people have not met each other before.↗ Example: The new boy was unacquainted with the school's rules.↗ · Many people are unacquainted with this old card game.↗ · The two families were unacquainted until the street party.↗ · Being unacquainted with the forest, we kept to the path.↗ · The visitor seemed unacquainted with British money.↗ · I was unacquainted with the word, so I looked it up.↗

unaddressed — Everyday, meaning 1: Unaddressed means not dealt with, solved or talked about yet, like an unaddressed problem.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An unaddressed letter or parcel has no address written on it.↗ Example: The broken swing is still unaddressed after a month.↗ · The letter was unaddressed, so the post office sent it back.↗ · Bullying that is left unaddressed can get worse.↗ · Some questions remained unaddressed at the meeting.↗ · Her worries went unaddressed until she told her teacher.↗ · Please don't post an unaddressed envelope.↗

unaffected — Everyday, meaning 1: Not changed or harmed by something.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Natural and sincere, not pretending or showing off.↗ Example: Our street was unaffected by the storm.↗ · The plants were unaffected by the frost.↗ · Changing the order of numbers in an addition leaves the total unaffected.↗ · She stayed unaffected by all the fame.↗ · His unaffected smile made everyone like him.↗ · The school was unaffected by the power cut.↗

unaided — Everyday, meaning 1: Unaided means without help from anyone or anything.↗ e.g. "she climbed the tree unaided".↗ Everyday, meaning 2: With the unaided eye means without a telescope or microscope.↗ Example: My baby sister can now walk unaided.↗ · He solved the hard puzzle unaided.↗ · Venus can be seen with the unaided eye.↗ · After the accident, Grandpa learned to walk unaided again.↗ · She finished the test unaided.↗ · Germs are too small to see with the unaided eye.↗ · Odysseus now bade her farewell, and alone and unaided embarked on the frail little craft for his native land.↗

unalterable — Everyday, meaning 1: Unalterable means that cannot be changed.↗ Example: Her love was unalterable.↗ · The rules of the game are unalterable.↗ · He gave an unalterable promise.↗

unaltered — Everyday, meaning 1: Unaltered means not changed; it stays the same as before.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Unaltered can mean kept in its original state.↗ Example: The control plant was left unaltered.↗ · Keep the other variables unaltered for a fair test.↗ · (formal) The total remains unaltered if you swap the order of the numbers.↗ · The old painting was found unaltered after many years.↗ · The rules stay unaltered this year.↗ · His mood was unaltered by the bad news.↗

unanimous — Everyday, meaning 1: A unanimous decision or vote is one that everyone in the group agrees with, with nobody against.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: If people are unanimous, they all agree about something.↗ Example: The class vote for the trip to the zoo was unanimous.↗ · The jury reached a unanimous verdict.↗ · All twelve judges were unanimous that the rule was unfair.↗ · The teachers were unanimous in their praise of the play.↗ · The council gave unanimous approval to the new skate park.↗ · Not one hand went up against it, so the decision was unanimous.↗ · The team made a unanimous choice for captain.↗

unanimously — Everyday, meaning 1: If something is done unanimously, everyone in the group agrees to it and nobody is against it.↗ Example: The school council voted unanimously to plant more trees.↗ · Maya was unanimously chosen as team captain.↗ · The judges unanimously agreed that the cake was the best.↗ · The motion was passed unanimously.↗ · The players unanimously decided to share the prize.↗ · The new rule was adopted unanimously by the club.↗ · The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on the resolution.↗ · Popular opinion unanimously decided in favour of Odysseus, which verdict was confirmed by the Trojan prisoners who were present at the engagement.↗

unannounced — Everyday, meaning 1: Unannounced means happening or arriving without anyone being told beforehand; unexpected and without warning.↗ Example: Grandma turned up unannounced with a cake.↗ · The inspectors made an unannounced visit to the school.↗ · We had an unannounced fire drill this morning.↗ · The teacher gave an unannounced spelling test.↗ · A fox walked into the garden unannounced.↗ · The band played an unannounced song at the end of the show.↗

unanswered — Everyday, meaning 1: Unanswered means not answered or not replied to: an unanswered question.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Unanswered can describe something not responded to, like a phone call or a challenge.↗ Example: There were two unanswered questions on my test.↗ · The phone rang unanswered.↗ · Some questions about space are still unanswered.↗ · Her letter went unanswered for weeks.↗ · Don't leave any question unanswered.↗ · Some people feel their prayers are unanswered.↗

unappealing — Everyday, meaning 1: Unappealing means not attractive, not nice or not interesting.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Unappealing food does not look or smell nice.↗ Example: The grey soup looked unappealing.↗ · Homework on a sunny day seems unappealing.↗ · The old toy shop was dark and unappealing.↗ · The idea of walking in the rain was unappealing.↗ · The dish was healthy but unappealing to the children.↗ · The room looked unappealing until we painted it.↗

unarmed — Everyday, meaning 1: Not carrying a weapon.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Without the use of weapons: «unarmed combat».↗ Example: Most British police officers are unarmed.↗ · Mole went into the Wild Wood alone and unarmed.↗ · The soldiers did not shoot at the unarmed crowd.↗ · Judo is a kind of unarmed self-defence.↗ · The knight stood unarmed before the dragon.↗ · The prisoners were unarmed.↗ · "Ay," said the tinker, "hang him that would fight a man unarmed."↗

unasked — Everyday, meaning 1: Unasked means not asked: an unasked question is one nobody has asked.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Unasked (or unasked-for) means given or done without anyone asking: unasked-for advice.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Unasked can mean without being invited: he came to the party unasked.↗ Example: She helped me unasked, which was very kind.↗ · He gave me lots of unasked-for advice about my drawing.↗ · The cat came into the house unasked.↗ · One question was left unasked.↗ · Don't go to someone's party unasked.↗ · The unasked question was: who took the cake?↗

unattainable — Everyday, meaning 1: Impossible to reach, achieve or get.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (of a person, informal) Seeming too far above you to be friends or go out with.↗ Example: Getting every single question right seemed an unattainable goal.↗ · The top shelf was unattainable without a ladder.↗ · Some adverts show unattainable perfection.↗ · For a beginner, a black belt can feel unattainable, but step by step it's possible.↗ · With only two dice, a score of 13 is unattainable.↗ · The mountain peak looked unattainable in the snow.↗ · Wisdom is as unattainable to a fool as corals; he openeth not his mouth in the gate.↗ (Writings PRO.24.7, JPS 1917)↗

unattended — Everyday, meaning 1: Unattended means left alone, with no one looking after or watching it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: It can also mean not dealt with or not cared for.↗ Example: Please do not leave your bags unattended.↗ · Never leave a pan unattended on the stove.↗ · The lifeguard tower was unattended, so we did not swim.↗ · Small children must not be left unattended near water.↗ · An unattended candle can start a fire.↗ · The shop counter was unattended for a minute.↗

unattractive — Everyday, meaning 1: Not nice to look at; not pretty or handsome.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Not interesting or pleasant, so people do not want it: an unattractive offer or idea.↗ Example: The old car park was grey and unattractive.↗ · Working all weekend sounded unattractive to him.↗ · The frog looked unattractive, but it was really a prince.↗ · Paying twice the price is an unattractive deal.↗ · They painted the unattractive wall with a bright mural.↗ · Rude manners are unattractive in anyone.↗

unauthorised — Everyday, meaning 1: Unauthorised means done or used without permission from the person or group in charge.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An unauthorised person is someone who is not allowed to be somewhere or to do something.↗ Example: The sign said «No unauthorised persons beyond this point.»↗ · Missing school for a holiday is an unauthorised absence.↗ · Unauthorised access to someone's account is against the law.↗ · The guard stopped an unauthorised visitor at the gate.↗ · Unauthorised parking will be fined.↗ · The app sent a warning about an unauthorised login.↗ · Using photos from the internet without permission can be unauthorised use.↗

unavailable — Everyday, meaning 1: Not able to be got, bought or used right now.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (of a person) Not free to meet, talk or help, because they are busy or away.↗ Example: Sorry, that size is unavailable at the moment.↗ · The head teacher is unavailable until after lunch.↗ · The game was unavailable because the server was down.↗ · Fresh strawberries are unavailable in winter here.↗ · The doctor was unavailable, so we saw the nurse.↗ · If 3 of the 10 bikes are unavailable, only 7 can be hired.↗

unavenged — Everyday, meaning 1: Unavenged means not punished or paid back for a wrong that was done.↗ Example: The cruel death was not unavenged.↗ · The crime was never unavenged.↗ · The wrong done to him went unavenged.↗

unaware — Everyday, meaning 1: Not knowing about something; not noticing it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (adverb «unawares») Without warning, by surprise: «caught unawares».↗ Example: She was unaware that her shoelace was undone.↗ · The mouse was unaware of the cat behind it.↗ · Many people are unaware of how much sugar is in fizzy drinks.↗ · I was unaware the shop had closed.↗ · The storm caught the campers unawares.↗ · He walked on, unaware he had dropped his wallet.↗ · "Don't be angry," said the little bird; "the 'tweet' slipped out of my beak unawares."↗ · And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past; (Torah DEU.19.4, JPS 1917)↗ · that the manslayer might flee thither, that slayeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: (Torah DEU.4.42, JPS 1917)↗ · Let destruction come upon him unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself; with destruction let him fall therein.↗ (Writings PSA.35.8, JPS 1917)↗ · that the manslayer that killeth any person through error and unawares may flee thither; and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.↗ (Prophets JOS.20.3, JPS 1917)↗ · And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unawares, and hated him not beforetime.↗ (Prophets JOS.20.5, JPS 1917)↗