unexplained
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Something that's unexplained isn't known or made clear, like an unexplained creaking sound coming from the attic of your grandparents' creepy house. Anything without a clear reason for happening or existing is unexplained, whether it's the mysterious crack in the kitchen window or some lines of movie dialogue spoken in a language you don't understand (and without subtitles). When you explain something, you describe what it is, how it works, or why it exists — and then it's explained. Add the prefix un-, meaning "not," and you get unexplained.
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.
Abdominal pain or lumps, stomach bloating and unexplained weight loss are also among symptoms which should lead to a bowel cancer test.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
It reminded me of how he had spoken about wanting to believe in the unexplained: “We are all hunting for rational reasons for believing in the absurd.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
But even if every additional voter had backed da Silva, more than 5.5 million votes would still be unexplained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Eventually, Burdge and Aaron Householder, a graduate student in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, returned to the unexplained signal.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
He smiled, holding my glance, trying to lift me out of my sudden, unexplained dejection.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
