unattended

[ uhn-uh-ten-did ]

adjective

1. without attendance; lacking an audience, spectators, etc.:

   The decision was made out of the public eye, in an unattended meeting.

2. not accompanied; not associated with, as a concomitant effect or result:

   a flash of lightning unattended by thunder.

3. not cared for or ministered to:

   unattended patients;

   an unattended injury.

4. not taken in charge; not watched over:

   Many forest fires start from unattended campfires.

   Careful, or your unattended baggage may be picked up by airport security.

5. not accompanied, as by an attendant or companion; alone:

   The queen was unattended.

6. unheeded; not listened to; disregarded:

   A number of unattended warning signals preceded the explosion.

7. not tended to; not done or carried out, as a task (usually followed by to ):

   He left his studies unattended to.

unattended

/ ˌʌnəˈtɛndɪd /

adjective

1. not looked after or cared for
2. unaccompanied or alone
3. not listened to

Word History and Origins

Origin of unattended¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; un- ¹ + attend + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Officials said the department’s bomb squad and crime lab teams showed up around 9 a.m., and focused their attention on the unattended bag sitting next to a large blue cooler on top of a bench in front of the building.

From Los Angeles Times

Anyone who visited the reservoir in the past eight weeks and noticed or removed any unattended personal property is asked to contact police.

From BBC

People overdosed in the streets, unattended.

From Los Angeles Times

She heard in evidence that 40 ambulances were delayed at acute hospitals across the county, and there had been 18 unattended Category 2 calls and 13 unanswered Category 3 calls at the time.

From BBC

“Children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• neglected