unaided

adjective un·aid·ed \ ˌən-ˈā-dəd \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Definition of unaided

: not provided with help or assistance

a star that is visible to the unaided eye [=that can be seen without a telescope or binoculars]

: not aided or assisted

paid for her education unaided by her parents

… he walks unaided except for a simple wooden cane.
—Kate Coyne

See unaided defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of unaided from the Web

Philip was also able to attend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding, walking into St. George’s Chapel unaided, despite his recent hip replacement.

— simon perry, PEOPLE.com, "70 Years in Love! Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth Enjoy Sunny Polo Date," 25 June 2018
One man succeeded in getting out of the water unaided.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "June 1, 1889: Johnstown flood," 1 June 2018
If conditions don’t improve, most fans will be unable to see the majority of the race unaided.

— john cherwa, latimes.com, "Justify wins the 143rd Preakness Stakes in a close finish to keep alive Triple Crown bid," 19 May 2018
The virtual autopsy indicated that the boy king suffered from a genetic bone wasting disease and a club foot, making him unable to walk unaided.

— james rogers, Fox News, "King Tut mystery solved: No 'hidden chamber' in famous tomb, experts say," 7 May 2018
For hours, Alfie continued to breathe unaided, with hospital staff refusing to help with either ventilation or hydration despite his coughing, according to the Christian Concern statement and Alfie's father.

— susan scutti, CNN, "British toddler Alfie Evans' fate to be decided by UK High Court," 25 Apr. 2018
The agency told airlines to perform ultrasonic inspections — which can detect flaws or cracks not visible to the unaided human eye — within the next 20 days on fan blades of engines with more than 30,000 cycles.

— zach wichter, New York Times, "F.A.A. Orders Closer Engine Inspections After Southwest Airlines Failure," 20 Apr. 2018
Quitting cold turkey is rarely effective: Only 3 percent to 6 percent of smokers who make an unaided attempt to quit are still abstinent one year later.

— consumer reports, Washington Post, "Smoking even one cigarette a day raises risk for coronary heart disease," 16 Apr. 2018
Such a startling stat highlights their considerable scoring issues, unaided by the loss of the two erstwhile players who have scored more goals than Madrid's defender, Loic Remy and Jonathan Viera.

— SI.com, "Las Palmas vs Real Madrid Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battle, Team News & More," 30 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unaided.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.