unsought

adjective

un·​sought ˌən-ˈsȯt How to pronounce unsought (audio)
: not searched for or sought out
unsought compliments

Examples of unsought in a Sentence

the meddling neighbor insisted on giving us unsought advice
Recent Examples on the Web On the 21st of April, only a third of the way through spring, our 88 degrees may have seemed thermal precocity, an unsought rush to summer. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2023 The Sugarplum Fairy, after an unsought interregnum, is presiding over the Land of Sweets at the New York City Ballet. Michael Paulson, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2022 The federal ban on vaping on commercial flights, instituted in 2016, was meant to protect passengers from unsought exposure to aerosols. New York Times, 5 July 2022 What’s more, as Anna Della Subin explores in her bracingly original Accidental Gods, unsought divinity was a remarkably widespread phenomenon that spanned centuries and continents. Fara Dabhoiwala, The New York Review of Books, 19 Aug. 2021 The boy opened fire, shooting a 13-year-old classmate and a teacher — and putting Alexander in a small, unsought fraternity of innocent people who have survived two gun attacks. Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, 10 June 2018 Sometimes the oddest unsought advice can be found in your doctor’s waiting room self-help magazines. Orange County Register, 4 Jan. 2017

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near unsought

Cite this Entry

“Unsought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsought. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unsought

adjective
un·​sought ˌən-ˈsȯt How to pronounce unsought (audio)
ˈən-
: not searched for or asked for
unsought advice
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