unreclaimed

adjective

un·​re·​claimed ˌən-ri-ˈklāmd How to pronounce unreclaimed (audio)
: not reclaimed: such as
a
: not tamed or subdued
Tell her what Heathcliff is—an unreclaimed creature, without refinement, without cultivation …Emily Brontë
b
: not cultivated or made fit again for use
an unreclaimed strip mine
an unreclaimed prairie

Examples of unreclaimed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The site remains unreclaimed, awaiting a plug job courtesy of U.S. taxpayers unless the BLM can find a new lessee. Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Apr. 2022 Neece has three rental homes on a mountain in Floyd County below an unreclaimed surface mine run by a Blackjewel affiliate, Revelation Energy LLC, which is also part of the bankruptcy case. James Bruggers, The Courier-Journal, 3 Mar. 2021 On the Navajo Nation, there’s thousands of unreclaimed mines that seep into the groundwater and pollute people’s water. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2020 Now just two miles or so of the battered creek is unreclaimed — including a stretch that runs through neighborhoods in this city. New York Times, 25 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unreclaimed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unreclaimed was in 1591

Dictionary Entries Near unreclaimed

Cite this Entry

“Unreclaimed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unreclaimed. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!