unaddressed
Britishadjective
Explanation
If a postcard is unaddressed, it means you forgot to write the recipient's mailing address on it. But if an issue or question is unaddressed, it hasn't been dealt with. When a politician speaks in public and manages to avoid answering the most important questions reporters ask, those issues remain unaddressed. And if you stay after school for extra math help but leave still not understanding what a polynomial is, your questions are unaddressed. This meaning of unaddressed comes from the verb address in the sense of "acknowledge and deal with something."
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.
When funding is delayed, security upgrades are postponed, vulnerabilities remain unaddressed and communities are left exposed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
"It's one of those things that has been left unaddressed for a long time," he said.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
The unaddressed damage shows when cars come in for other service, Schulenburg said.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025
The consent order did not cite evidence of water contamination, but noted that if left unaddressed these deficiencies could pose a risk for contamination.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025
She leans over to her handbag and pulls out a rectangular white envelope, unaddressed and unsealed.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
