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:
“Bring me back un marranito,” she called after us.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
“Dame un flan and three of those little cakes!”
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
He gave his old business partner un abrazo, addressing him as compadre even though neither one was godparent to the other’s children.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
I strum my guitar and sing Celia Cruz’s “La vida es un carnaval,” and my mom joins in.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
“How you know? You go git dat old hat en put dat new un away.”
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
According to UN experts and other analysts, more than half - and by some estimates as much as 70% - of Sudan's gold is smuggled out of the country each year.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Speaking at a meeting of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, he urged it to "change your ways and turn the lights back on for your people".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
In 2021, the Geneva-based UN agency launched the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, with the aim of using public-private partnerships to help increase digitalisation in the world's hardest-to-connect communities.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 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
Then, on a hospital plane full of UN workers and sick white people, we were transported through a long thrumming darkness, in which we slept the sleep of the dead.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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
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
Eventually we slowed to a trot and I found the courage to un- bury my face from the rider’s jacket and take in the changing landscape.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
Mr Morris explained: "I said to my partner 'That looks like the couple that were in the news', and she said 'She's definitely got something under that coat. It may be a little 'un'."
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2024
“I can tell a wrong ‘un a mile away.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 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
“Yes, he’s ‘un peu cockroach’,” Dosch says, mixing her languages.
From The Guardian ● May 5, 2018
“No, sir. But ye needn’t have no difficulty about that. It’s a ’igh ’un with a stone front with a bow on it, an’ ’igh steps up to the door.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
