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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

unwanted en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ʌnˈwɒntɪd/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- Proto-Germanic *wanatōną Old Norse vantabor. Middle English wanten English want Proto-Germanic *-ōd- Old English -ode Middle English -ede English -ed English wanted English unwanted From un- + wanted.

Meanings

  1. Not wanted; unwelcome.
    • I rebuffed his unwanted advances.
    • Once finances are stabilised, getting Crossrail finished is Byford's most obvious task. Late and over budget, it is causing unwanted headlines and friction between the London Mayor and the Department for Transport that both sides would rather live without. 2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 52:
    • When asked why the devices were retrofitted on older models instead of newer ones, Sarno said the MTA typically uses older car models when making modifications in case there are any unwanted effects. 2025 March 9, Nic F. Anderson, “Tired of subway delays? The MTA wants to fix that by strapping Google smartphones to New York trains”, in CNN:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most unwanted Degree=Sup lexicographic
more unwanted Degree=Cmp lexicographic

Deriveds

unwantedly · unwantedness

Translations (23)

it indesiderato (not wanted) · fi ei-toivottu (not wanted) · nl ongewild (not wanted) · sv oönskad (not wanted) · cs nechtěný (not wanted) · hi अवांछित (not wanted) · te అకాంక్షితము (not wanted) · de unerwünscht (not wanted) · hi अनचाहा (not wanted) · bg нежелан (not wanted) · pt indesejada (not wanted) · grc ἀθέλητος (not wanted) · ro nedorit (not wanted) · pl niechciany (not wanted) · gv gyn yeearree (not wanted) · pt indesejado (not wanted) · tr istenmeyen (not wanted) · ru нежела́нный (not wanted) · ru нежела́емый (not wanted) · hi अनभीष्ट (not wanted) · el ανεπιθύμητος (not wanted) · de ungewollt (not wanted) · ro nevoit (not wanted)

unwanted en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ʌnˈwɒntɪd/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- Proto-Germanic *wanatōną Old Norse vantabor. Middle English wanten English want Proto-Germanic *-ōd- Old English -ode Middle English -ede English -ed English wanted English unwanted From un- + wanted.

Meanings

  1. One who or that is not wanted; an undesirable.
    • There were no thoughts of hydrogen bombs or CBW or contraceptives or removing unwanteds. It was the old America, the old order restored, and the President saw that it was Good. 1970, Triumph, volumes 5-6, page 7:
    • What slaves they had bought to carry the goods of the interior back to the coast were the unwanteds of the villages — the persons convicted of crime who would normally have been killed or banished from their communities […] 1963, The Nyasaland Journal, volumes 16-17, page 12:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
unwanteds Number=Plur lexicographic