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:
“Soy un prisionero de guerra,” Maduro replied—which translates to “I’m a prisoner of war”—as court officers escorted the man out of the room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
The service ended with the song, I bob un sydd Ffyddlon, before his committal at Thornhill Crematorium.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 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
If you do, you’re likely to respond to “Femme Piquée par un Serpent” with ambivalence and frustration.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
“Ee wor a gennelman, ee wor. Ee hadden no proper neame like, not like you may remember, but ee wor a gennelman, that ee wor, and fed un out a porcelain.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
After the UN defined the current El Niño as supersized, the Farmers’ Almanac predicts this upcoming winter will look very different.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
MSF urged world leaders gathering at the UN General Assembly in New York to take action.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
As a result, the Equal Earth map was initially adopted by 54 members of the African Union, before being adopted by the UN.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The likelihood of El Nino persisting through February 2027 is now close to 100%, according to new forecasts from the World Meteorological Organization, a UN agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
I peeled the foil back from one of the UN ration packets to examine the contents by moonlight.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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
Along with the vaccine rollout, some states have already been nixing restrictions, and the un- or semi-vaccinated among us are getting a little laxer with our safety calculations.
From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2021
It mean a un- naked man somewhere near the first one God made that knowed what he was.
From "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker
The young ’un is Trey McKinney, a wiry prodigy who broke into Elite Series fishing in his teens and has twice finished runner-up for Angler of the Year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
“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
"And even if it was safe, young 'un, I'd be ashamed to be seen with you on the main road."
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
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.
