unforced

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adjective un·forced \ ˌən-ˈfȯrst \

Definition of unforced

:not forced: such as

a :done or produced naturally or with minimal effort

a genuine, unforced smile

His writing has a natural, unforced style.

b :caused by one's own poor play, performance, etc.

an unforced error in tennis

See unforced defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of unforced from the Web

Unforced errors allowed Muguruza to break Halep twice in the first three games of the second set to take a 3-0 lead.

— dave clark, Cincinnati.com, "Three keys to Muguruza's win vs. Halep at Western and Southern Open," 20 Aug. 2017
Forget the blockbuster trade-secrets lawsuit, the flaming SUV, and the many, many recent flubs, foul-ups, and unforced errors of the past six months.

— max chafkin, Bloomberg.com, "Uber Is Divided Into Two Factions. They’re Both Wrong," 14 Aug. 2017
Sharapova made many unforced errors in going down 2-0, came back to lead 3-2, but lost the final two games, with Rogers winning the deciding fourth point after the game was tied 3-3.

— tod leonard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Vibes good at La Costa, but Maria Sharapova rusty coming off injury," 16 July 2017
After Cilic got broken on yet another unforced error for a fifth time to trail 4-3, rain drops started to fall.

— danielle rossingh, CNN, "Roger Federer overwhelms Cilic to clinch historic eighth Wimbledon title," 16 July 2017
Williams finished with 25 unforced errors, 14 more than the champion.

— Time, "Garbine Muguruza Defeats Venus Williams to Win Wimbledon Title," 15 July 2017
In the first and last sets combined, Kvitova made 45 unforced errors to 11 for Brengle.

— howard fendrich, chicagotribune.com, "Two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova stunned by American Madison Brengle," 5 July 2017
One of the nation's most prominent unforced public health debacles in recent years is heading toward the justice system finish line on Monday as a former pharmaceutical executive faces as much as 35 years in prison.

— sy mukherjee, Fortune, "Pharma Executive to Be Sentenced Over 2012 Meningitis Deaths," 26 June 2017
Set during the runup to Olli Maki’s 1962 Helsinki bout against Davey Moore, Juho Kuosmanen’s debut feature benefits from magnificent, intimate cinematography and endearingly unforced performances.

— OregonLive.com, "Movie picks: 'I, Daniel Blake,' Jewish Film Festival and more," 7 June 2017

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

First Known Use of unforced

1605

unforced Synonyms

Synonyms

freewill, self-imposed, uncoerced, voluntary, volitional, volunteer, willing

Antonyms

coerced, compelled, forced, involuntary, nonvoluntary, unwilled, will-less

Related Words

discretionary, elective, optional; impulsive, instinctive, spontaneous, unpremeditated; conscious, deliberate, intentional, knowing, willful (or wilful)

Near Antonyms

compulsory, enforced, mandatory, necessary, nonelective, obligatory, ordered, required

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unforced

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