unanswered
Britishadjective
Explanation
If something is unanswered, it gets no response, even when one is asked for or expected. So that unanswered text message? It hasn't gotten a reply. An unanswered phone call isn't answered but instead just rings and rings endlessly. An unanswered question hovers there without a response, like when your dad asks, "Who's responsible for this mess?" and none of your siblings says a thing. If you write dozens of letters to your favorite Hollywood star but don't get a reply, those are (sadly) unanswered too.
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.
Another unanswered question is whether chocolate has something special about it or whether other familiar foods could produce similar effects.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
According to the Axios website, appeals for US intervention from the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have so far gone unanswered.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The adverse drug test findings that wiped out two years of Conor's career cast a long shadow, fracturing public perception and leaving unanswered questions that still follow him.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“And of course an event like this is an unanswered question,” he added, “the loss of a family member, a loved one.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Dandy himself would leave it unanswered, shrugging crankily in response to my interference and returning to his newspaper.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
