: not paired : such as
a
: not matched or mated
unpaired socks
Brooks Brothers now offers the "Wardrobe" option, which includes unpaired jackets and pants in matching materials, so that a man can shop for a suit the same way a woman does.—
Mary Lisa Gavenas
Mary Lisa Gavenas
b
: being an electron that does not share its orbital with another electron
… free radicals, molecules with unpaired electrons that are eager to pair up.—Marla Vacek Broadfoot
Marla Vacek Broadfoot
Synonyms
Examples of unpaired in a Sentence
Adjective
found an unpaired shoe in the back of the closet
Recent Examples on the WebIEEE Spectrum, 15 Nov. 2023
Additionally, the agency cited 39 incidents of safe owners reporting the product had been accessed by unpaired fingerprints.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2023
The other records the strength of the magnetic field by detecting changes in the spin of unpaired electrons present in a vapor of alkali-metal atoms oriented by a laser beam.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Oct. 2023
One year there was a hiccup in the nesting cycle when an unpaired male wren attempted to raid the nest resulting in just three of seven chicks surviving, but a little research told us this was not unusual.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2023
Also, through several complex physical mechanisms, the unpaired 4f electrons can amplify the magnetism of the crystal by coordinating and stabilizing the spin alignment of the 3d electrons in the lattice.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2023
Tops are iron, with four unpaired 3d electrons, and cobalt, with three.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2023
Radical pairs are molecular fragments with unpaired electrons that spin in either an antiparallel pattern (noted with↑↓ and called a singlet state), or a parallel pattern (noted with ↑↑, and called a triplet state).
—Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 6 Apr. 2022
Such electrons are purported to balance our inner electrical environment: They’re thought to neutralize reactive oxygen species (commonly referred to as free radicals) within the body that contain atoms with unpaired electrons.
—Molly Glick, Discover Magazine, 23 Dec. 2021
See More
Adjective
For this, the ideal atoms are ones that have unpaired electrons swarming around the nucleus in what are known as 3d orbitals.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Nov. 2023
Additionally, the agency cited 39 incidents of safe owners reporting the product had been accessed by unpaired fingerprints.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2023
The other records the strength of the magnetic field by detecting changes in the spin of unpaired electrons present in a vapor of alkali-metal atoms oriented by a laser beam.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Oct. 2023
One year there was a hiccup in the nesting cycle when an unpaired male wren attempted to raid the nest resulting in just three of seven chicks surviving, but a little research told us this was not unusual.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2023
Also, through several complex physical mechanisms, the unpaired 4f electrons can amplify the magnetism of the crystal by coordinating and stabilizing the spin alignment of the 3d electrons in the lattice.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2023
Tops are iron, with four unpaired 3d electrons, and cobalt, with three.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2023
Radical pairs are molecular fragments with unpaired electrons that spin in either an antiparallel pattern (noted with↑↓ and called a singlet state), or a parallel pattern (noted with ↑↑, and called a triplet state).
—Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 6 Apr. 2022
Such electrons are purported to balance our inner electrical environment: They’re thought to neutralize reactive oxygen species (commonly referred to as free radicals) within the body that contain atoms with unpaired electrons.
—Molly Glick, Discover Magazine, 23 Dec. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unpaired.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near unpaired
Cite this Entry
“Unpaired.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpaired. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
unpaired
adjective
un·paired
ˌən-ˈpa(ə)rd 
-ˈpe(ə)rd,
ˈən-
: not paired
especially
: not matched or mated
an unpaired shoe
Medical Definition
unpaired
adjective
un·paired
ˌən-ˈpa(ə)rd, -ˈpe(ə)rd
1
a
: not paired
especially
: not matched or mated
b
: characterized by the absence of pairing
electrons in the unpaired state
2
: situated in the median plane of the body
an unpaired anatomical part
also
: not matched by a corresponding part on the opposite side
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