un
pronoun
one.
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un
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UN
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un-
un-a prefix meaning “not,” freely used as an English formative, giving negative or opposite force in adjectives and their derivative adverbs and nouns (unfair; unfairly; unfairness; unfelt; unseen; unfitting; unformed; unheard-of; un-get-at-able ), and less freely used in certain other nouns (unrest; unemployment ).
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'un
un
1 American
[uhn]
/ ən /
Or
'un
pronoun
Dialect.
UN
2
American
Or
U.N.
abbreviation
un-
3
American
un-
4
American
un-
1
British
prefix
-
denoting reversal of an action or state
uncover
untangle
-
denoting removal from, release, or deprivation
unharness
unman
unthrone
-
(intensifier)
unloose
UN
2
British
abbreviation
'un
3
British
/ ən /
pronoun
un-
4
British
prefix
Usage
This spelling is intended to reflect a dialectal or informal pronunciation
Synonym Usage
See in- 3.
Etymology
Origin of un-3
Middle English un-, on-, Old English; cognate with Dutch on-, Gothic, German un-, Old Norse ū-, ō-; akin to Latin in-, Greek an-, a-. See a- 6, an- 1, in- 3
Origin of un-4
Middle English, Old English un-, on-; cognate with Gothic and-, Dutch ont-, German ent-; akin to Latin ante, Greek antí; cf. ante-, anti-
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nerves crept in, and as the match entered extra time, Spain began to fear that this final would go down as un robo, a robbery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
It is seen as childish, uncool, un... basketball.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2025
Living in Paris for a year certainly had its share of stresses, mostly because my French language skills never really advanced beyond me saying, Je parle français un petit peu, before switching to English.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2025
Lafourcade emerged on the scene in 2002 with her self-titled debut album, a fusion of rock en español, pop, jazz and bossa nova that produced hits like “En el 2000” and “Busca un Problema.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2024
“Not even if afile ...” “Afile brenen un brutn . . . even if you should be burned and roasted. Here that is not a proverb to be spoken aloud.”
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
The fight over Turk's second term, which was passed with 144 states in favour, 10 against and 13 abstentions, reflects tensions between Washington and the UN.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he held "very constructive" separate meetings with rival Cypriot leaders on Tuesday, ahead of trilateral meetings to weigh the prospect of fresh negotiations nine years after the peace process collapsed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he planned to attend the UN General Assembly in New York City this autumn, despite the city's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, making threats to arrest him.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The 61-year-old, a previous president of the UN General Assembly, has suggested creating an "early warning" system to detect and flag signs of impending conflict.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Nothing did any good until we got kerosene from the UN.
From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau
What fascinating characters “The English” has at the margins quickly cycle in and out of the miniseries — bad men and women whose motivations and backgrounds remain un- or underexplored.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2022
So reasonable or un- is the wrong standard.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 2, 2022
All of which is to say that in ways both subtle and not, intentional and un-, he has complicated his relationship with audiences, elaborated and often inverted the idea of Matt Damon.
From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2021
This sense of being un- or under-written raises the spectre of another English author, Rachel Cusk, whose “Outline” trilogy dispenses with many of the classic techniques—plot, dialogue—that give fiction shape.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 24, 2018
It went on unpursued and un- pursuing, and my only thought was to remain erect, and keep my secret along with my balance.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
“I can tell a wrong ‘un a mile away.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2022
She said the experience had "sharpened her instinct" and that as a result she could "tell a wrong 'un a mile away".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2022
In French, it’s called ‘un sot-l’y-laisse’—i.e., only an idiot leaves it behind.”
From Fox News ● Jul. 24, 2020
But it doesn’t matter if we call them public relations experts, background vetters, wrong ’un sniffer-outers, or simply sentient humans over the age of 18 who can read.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 29, 2019
“No, but like they air a-sayin’ down in Newton, Matt’s young ’un made it plain that the fam’ly still sticks up fer Bill.”
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
