unprotected

adjective

un·​pro·​tect·​ed ˌən-prə-ˈtek-təd 

1

: lacking protection or defense

unprotected troops

skin unprotected from the sun's rays

2

: performed without the use of birth control to prevent pregnancy

also : performed without the use of a condom to prevent spread of sexually transmitted infection

unprotected sex

Synonyms of unprotected

• vulnerable
• susceptible
• helpless

Examples of unprotected in a Sentence

They're planning to build roads over thousands of acres of unprotected land.

If your computer is unprotected, you're likely to get a virus.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the press conference, Undersecretary of Education Nicholas Kent accused the Biden administration of leaving Americans unprotected. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 Oct. 2026

This means that unprotected people need to stay home and away from others for 21 days after exposure. — Katie Lockwood, STAT, 28 Oct. 2026

The students challenge that interpretation, contending that the university has not established that their individual statements constituted legally unprotected threats or caused the level of disruption required to justify punishment. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026

Those weaknesses could enable cybercriminals to seize control of unprotected website servers, install malware, pilfer customer data and even take sites down completely. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unprotected

• disaffected
• disconnected
• disinfected
• interjected
• intersected
• misdirected
• preselected
• recollected
• reconnected
• redirected
• reelected
• resurrected

Kids Definition

unprotected

adjective

un·​pro·​tect·​ed ˌən-prə-ˈtek-təd 

1

: lacking protection or defense

unprotected troops

skin unprotected from the sun's rays

2

: performed without the use of birth control to prevent pregnancy

also : performed without the use of a condom to prevent the spread of a sexually transmitted disease

unprotected sex

Medical Definition

unprotected

adjective

un·​pro·​tect·​ed -prə-ˈtek-təd 

: not protected

especially : performed without measures to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease

unprotected sexual intercourse