Standard Lemma guide

unwanted

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ʌnˈwɒntɪd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: unwonted
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N W AO1 N T IH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not wanted; unwelcome.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I rebuffed his unwanted advances.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

One who or that is not wanted; an undesirable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

not wanted

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • undesirable impurities in steel
  • legislation excluding undesirable aliens
  • removed the unwanted vegetation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: undesirable

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

not wanted; not needed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • tried to give away unwanted kittens

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: wanted

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English wanted English unwanted From un- + wanted.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: нежелан (neželan) — not wanted
  • Czech: nechtěný — not wanted
  • Dutch: ongewild — not wanted
  • Finnish: ei-toivottu — not wanted
  • German: unerwünscht — not wanted
  • German: ungewollt — not wanted
  • Greek: ανεπιθύμητος (anepithýmitos) — not wanted
  • Ancient Greek: ἀθέλητος (athélētos) — not wanted
  • Hindi: अनचाहा (ancāhā) — not wanted
  • Hindi: अवांछित (avāñchit) — not wanted
  • Hindi: अनभीष्ट (anbhīṣṭ) — not wanted
  • Italian: indesiderato — not wanted
  • Manx: gyn yeearree — not wanted
  • Polish: niechciany — not wanted
  • Portuguese: indesejado — not wanted
  • Portuguese: indesejada — not wanted
  • Romanian: nedorit — not wanted
  • Romanian: nevoit — not wanted
  • Russian: нежела́емый (neželájemyj) — not wanted
  • Russian: нежела́нный (neželánnyj) — not wanted
  • Swedish: oönskad — not wanted
  • Telugu: అకాంక్షితము (akāṅkṣitamu) — not wanted
  • Turkish: istenmeyen — not wanted
Real reading context

unwanted in complete knowledge articles