unbidden

[ uhn-bid-n ]

adjective

1. not ordered or commanded; spontaneous.
2. not asked or summoned; uninvited.

unbidden

/ ʌnˈbɪdən /

adjective

1. not ordered or commanded; voluntary or spontaneous
2. not invited or asked

Word History and Origins

Origin of unbidden¹

before 1050; Middle English unbiden, Old English unbēden. See un- ¹, bidden

Example Sentences

It all came back unbidden, she said, as she was playing with her own daughter.

From Los Angeles Times

Getting a Doan's Bundt cake from Cruise unbidden reinforces the recipient’s high-level social status.

From Salon

Getting a Doan's Bundt cake from Cruise unbidden reinforces the recipient’s high-level social status.

From Salon

Lyrical scraps would flash unbidden, like hallucinations, in the decades to follow.

From New York Times

And like Peter Falk’s immortal gumshoe, Elsbeth — who will insert herself unbidden into an investigation — asks a lot of questions, some merely out of curiosity.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• active
• amenable
• eager
• enthusiastic
• happy
• inclined
• pleased
• prepared
• prone
• responsible