undirected

adjective

un·di·rect·ed | \ ˌən-də-ˈrek-təd

How to pronounce undirected (audio)

, -dī- \

Definition of undirected

: not directed : not planned or guided undirected efforts

Examples of undirected in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Such is the psychological misery of an undirected person for whom an urgent need to overcome idleness—to find purpose—becomes a source of stress. — Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, "How Civilization Broke Our Brains," 13 Dec. 2020 Darwinism opened minds to the fecundity of undirected, organic social cooperation of the sort that does most of the creating and allocating of wealth and opportunities in open societies. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, "The American Misunderstanding of Natural Rights," 12 Aug. 2020 What Bush recognized was that, for the most part, such scientific discoveries do not come from directed or applied research of the sort the government engaged in during wartime but rather from undirected basic research. — Mark P. Mills, National Review, "The Auspicious History — and Future — of Basic Science Research," 29 Apr. 2020 By its very nature, sound, unlike vision, is relatively undirected. — Norm Friesen, The Conversation, "4 weird things that happen when you videoconference," 1 Apr. 2020 This shot stands out because the moment is so pure and undirected. — Alix Strauss, New York Times, "Wedding Photographers Share Their Favorite Moments," 30 Apr. 2019 While some parents, lawmakers and advocates pushed this legislative session for a required fifty minutes of undirected play time during the school day, that particular bill didn’t pass. — Megan Merrigan, courant.com, "7 new laws that will impact Connecticut’s schools, from required courses to safety measures," 2 Sep. 2019 The notion of such vast eons of time — and the power of tiny, undirected changes which by their accumulation could generate new worlds, worlds of enormous richness and variety — was intoxicating. — Nicole Krauss, New York Times, "A Last Glimpse Into the Mind of Oliver Sacks," 4 Dec. 2017 According to a new study by Julia Leonard, Yuna Lee, and Laura Schulz at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, even 1-year-old infants can draw lessons from such unspoken, undirected demos. — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, "Infants Can Learn The Value of Perseverance By Watching Adults," 21 Sep. 2017

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about undirected

Dictionary Entries near undirected

Statistics for undirected

Last Updated

17 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Undirected.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undirected. Accessed 1 Mar. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster

Comments on undirected

What made you want to look up undirected? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

gazette

Listen to the pronunciation of gazette

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

February 2021 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of perdure?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Anagram puzzles meet word search.

TAKE THE QUIZ