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:
The same agent, who spoke with a Chicano accent, later sped off in a vehicle while asking in Spanglish, “¿Alguien arresto un tonk, güey?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
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
Boris Johnson, who was prime minister at the time, told the French they should "prenez un grip" and "donnez-moi un break".
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 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
“Son un buen equipo,” she said, pointing from me to Carmen.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
The ICC, which was established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Ecuador's Ivonne A-Baki, a diplomat who represented Quito in the United States, has entered the race to lead the UN, the head of the General Assembly said in a letter Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
In 2022, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for her immediate release.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
UN officials insist all issues were discussed, and that subsequent meetings included their participation.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Officials from Burundi and the UN were finally arriving now.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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
The standard for each of you is internal and about you alone: Is a particular accommodation for someone else comfortable or un-?
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
But I didn’t want to appear un- civilized, so I pulled on my socks despite the fact that they were damp and clammy with sweat.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
“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
“Well, no sir, I couldn’t, buddy, but they’s a devil of a big ’un down here in South Coal Creek.”
From Washington Post ● Jun. 23, 2016
All same, would’n’ ’urt, long’s she didn’t let ’un go on the place.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
