unattended

American  

[uhn-uh-ten-did] / ˌʌn əˈtɛn dɪd /

adjective

1. without attendance; lacking an audience, spectators, etc..

   The decision was made out of the public eye, in an unattended meeting.

2. not accompanied; not associated with, as a concomitant effect or result.

   a flash of lightning unattended by thunder.

3. not cared for or ministered to.

   unattended patients;

   an unattended injury.

4. not taken in charge; not watched over.

   Many forest fires start from unattended campfires.

   Careful, or your unattended baggage may be picked up by airport security.

5. not accompanied, as by an attendant or companion; alone.

   The queen was unattended.

6. unheeded; not listened to; disregarded.

   A number of unattended warning signals preceded the explosion.

7. not tended to; not done or carried out, as a task (usually followed byto ).

   He left his studies unattended to.

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unattended British  

/ ˌʌnəˈtɛndɪd /

adjective

1. not looked after or cared for

2. unaccompanied or alone

3. not listened to

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Etymology

Origin of unattended

First recorded in 1595–1605; un- ¹ + attend + -ed ²

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Explanation

Anything unattended is not being looked after or noticed. It's not safe for unattended children to wander too close to a busy street. There are some places, like a parking lot, where it's fine to leave an unattended car. Other places, like curbside at the airport, unattended vehicles aren't allowed — there must be a person with the car at all times. When something is attended, it's being watched or paid attention. Add the prefix un- ("not"), and you get unattended.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unattended

Yellowstone National Park regulations note that “pets may not be left unattended or tied to objects.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Because traditional, low-tech methods to crack ciphers are effective but time- and labour-intensive, historians "have more important problems to solve, so many ciphers like this often sit unattended", said Church.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

There's a potential risk of fire if unregulated devices with lithium batteries are left to charge unattended.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

In some cases, relatives flee homes when a family member dies, without informing authorities, leaving highly infectious corpses unattended for days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

For the first time we all gathered around the dining table, my mother, my father, Mr. Pirzada, and I. While the television aired unattended we covered the tabletop with newspapers.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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