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• un
  un

  pronoun

  one.
• UN
  UN

  abbreviation

  United Nations.
• 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 ).
• 'un
  'un

  pronoun

  a spelling of one

un

¹ American  

[uhn] / ən /

Or 'un

pronoun

Dialect.

1. one.

   young uns; He's a bad un.

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UN ² American  

Or U.N.

abbreviation

1. United Nations.

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un- ³ American  

1. 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- ⁴ American  

1. a prefix freely used in English to form verbs expressing a reversal of some action or state, or removal, deprivation, release, etc. (unbend; uncork; unfasten , etc.), or to intensify the force of a verb already having such a meaning (unloose ).

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un- ¹ British  

prefix

1. denoting reversal of an action or state

   uncover

   untangle

2. denoting removal from, release, or deprivation

   unharness

   unman

   unthrone

3. (intensifier)

   unloose

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UN ² British  

abbreviation

1. United Nations

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'un ³ British  

/ ən /

pronoun

1. a spelling of one

   that's a big 'un

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un- ⁴ British  

prefix

1. (freely used with adjectives, participles, and their derivative adverbs and nouns: less frequently used with certain other nouns) not; contrary to; opposite of

   uncertain

   uncomplaining

   unemotionally

   untidiness

   unbelief

   unrest

   untruth

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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

See Examples For:

un UN un- 'un

“Trying to find two new teammates for our Quiz Bowl team. Last year we came in third. This year we’re going to win! ¡Comerme un pan!”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

“Estoy un poco cansada,” she said, and I helped her to her room.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

“Yes, and she just used to say it in this way: ‘Qu’avez vous donc? lui dit un de ces rats; parlez!’

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

“Cette semaine, j’ai une petite surprise pour vous: nous allons regarder un film,” she says, taking a DVD off her desk and popping it in the player.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, Assistant Secretary General Khaled Khiari expressed concern about the strikes.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Among them, the UN refugee agency detailed a new Legal Virtual AI Assistant for lawyers and legal officers representing refugees, enabling them to swiftly determine the rights available within country-specific legal frameworks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

"Donors are already stepping up, and I pay tribute to them, and I thank them," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said during a meeting on the disaster.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

The UN said 2025 saw declines in new overseas investments in those three sectors of 40%, 25% and 30% respectively.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

We were scheduled to go at different times, not as a family unit, because the UN handles people who are over the age of eighteen as individual cases.

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

Eating un- or undercooked shellfish that harbor vibrio can lead to vomiting and diarrhea.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 18, 2022

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

And they’re accompanied by new ghouls: unexplored tabs, undigested takedowns, unheeded #longread tips, unfinished explainers, unwatched unearthed footage, unplumbed Netflix queues, and un- and un- and un-.

From Slate ● Dec. 14, 2014

Gaw, Jemmy thought, he's fuming like a stovepipe at being un- princed.

From "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman

“I can tell a wrong ‘un a mile away.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2022

While the current Covid pandemic is not "the big 'un" in terms of disasters, it has highlighted weaknesses in how we live, he says.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2020

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