1
: not gained by labor, service, or skill
unearned income
2
: scored as a result of an error by the opposing team
an unearned run
Examples of unearned in a Sentence
Bank interest is regarded as unearned income.
Recent Examples on the Web
Miles Mikolas gave up two unearned runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings for the Nationals.
—
CBS News,
24 June 2026
Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan (6-5) gave up six runs over six innings, though four were unearned.
—
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Liam relishes his unearned good fortune while Nick futilely tries to explain to everyone that something is terribly wrong.
—
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Regime leaders must be chortling over their surprising and unearned new international legitimacy.
—
Daniel B. Shapiro,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for unearned
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CBS News,
24 June 2026
Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan (6-5) gave up six runs over six innings, though four were unearned.
—
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Liam relishes his unearned good fortune while Nick futilely tries to explain to everyone that something is terribly wrong.
—
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Regime leaders must be chortling over their surprising and unearned new international legitimacy.
—
Daniel B. Shapiro,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for unearned
Cite this Entry
“Unearned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unearned. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unearned
adjective
un·earned
ˌən-ˈərnd 
ˈən-
: not gained by labor, service, or skill
unearned income
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