unearned

adjective

un·​earned ˌən-ˈərnd How to pronounce unearned (audio)
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 The Royals took advantage of an error, walk and hit batsman to push three unearned runs across in the next frame. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2024 Santos came on in the seventh inning and gave up one unearned run off one hit with a walk and a wild pitch. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 July 2024 Pretty privilege Noun An unearned and mostly unacknowledged societal advantage that a person has by fitting into the beauty standards of their culture. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 To some, the industry’s enthusiastic push of him feels a little unearned. Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 17 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for unearned 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unearned.' 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

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unearned was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near unearned

Cite this Entry

“Unearned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unearned. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

unearned

adjective
un·​earned ˌən-ˈərnd How to pronounce unearned (audio)
ˈən-
: not gained by labor, service, or skill
unearned income
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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