unmanned

adjective

un·​manned ˌən-ˈmand 

1

see usage paragraph below : not carrying, staffed, or performed by people : not manned

an unmanned railroad crossing

unmanned spaceflight

2

of a hawk : not trained

Usage of Manned and Unmanned

While manned and unmanned are still commonly used in news sources to describe spaceflights with and without human crews, respectively, NASA has since the early 21st century used and prescribed gender-neutral terms, preferring such descriptors as human, piloted, and crewed for the former, and unpiloted and uncrewed for the latter.

Examples of unmanned in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This system supports fully unmanned driving and battery swapping, allowing mines to run continuously while reducing risk to human operators. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 8 Feb. 2026

Taipei has been working to secure cheaper, more numerous unmanned systems that are key to complicating any potential Chinese attack. —Reuters, Oklahoman, 6 Feb. 2026

Operations will include counter-unmanned aerial systems -- anti-drone technology -- such as low-altitude helicopter radiation monitoring by the National Nuclear Security Administration. —Greg Cote february 3, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026

The company specializes in cutting-edge manned and unmanned combat systems, artillery, and advanced ammunition to enhance survivability and operational efficiency on the battlefield. —Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1544, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unmanned

• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand
• hinterland
• motherland

Kids Definition

unmanned

adjective

un·​manned ˌən-ˈmand 

ˈən-

: having no crew aboard

an unmanned spacecraft