unguarded

[ uhn-gahr-did ]

adjective

1. not guarded; guard; unprotected; undefended.

   Synonyms: defenseless

2. open; frank; guileless:

   an unguarded manner.

3. exposed to attack or capture by the opponent without recourse by the player, as a card, chess piece, etc.:

   an unguarded queen of clubs; an unguarded pawn.

4. not cautious or discreet; careless:

   In an unguarded moment he had told her about his affair.

   Synonyms: indiscreet

5. without a safeguard, as a cover, barrier, or shield, for protection:

   an unguarded buzz saw.

unguarded

/ ʌnˈɡɑːdɪd /

adjective

1. unprotected; vulnerable
2. guileless; open; frank
3. incautious or careless

Derived Forms

• unˈguardedness, noun
• unˈguardedly, adverb

Other Words From

• un·guarded·ly adverb
• un·guarded·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unguarded¹

First recorded in 1585–95; un- ¹ + guarded

Example Sentences

England defend very hard and fast and, because they are advancing up so fast towards the opposition, they are leaving rucks unguarded.

From BBC

Not everything they wrote was as unguarded as “Sweet Dreams” or “High Road”: In the very funny “Leigh,” which plays like a riff on George Strait’s classic “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” Wetzel considers moving to Memphis to avoid getting mixed up with women whose names end in “-leigh.”

From Los Angeles Times

To watch him when he was unguarded and not worried about — little did he know he was being observed.

From Salon

Cohen came across on the stand as responsive, matter-of-fact and unguarded in response to Assistant Dist.

From Los Angeles Times

“Did you really think we’d leave our shelter unguarded?”

From Literature

Related Words

• candid
• indiscreet
• offhand
• spontaneous