unattended

[uhn-uh-ten-did]

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.

unattended

/ ˌʌnəˈtɛndɪd /

adjective

1. not looked after or cared for

2. unaccompanied or alone

3. not listened to

Word History and Origins

Origin of unattended¹

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

Example Sentences

Faulty wiring, say, or an unattended pot left on the stove.

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She was walking back to her north Belfast home with her six-year-old chihuahua, when Chica was grabbed and pulled out of her harness by two unattended, aggressive dogs.

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It also cited previous cases of theft when customers left belongings unattended, calling the new guidelines "a step toward a more comfortable store environment".

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In the messages, Compton described it as a great idea, commenting he would like to go to a "hippy one, where lots of drugs consumed leaving unattended girls".

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If left unattended these conditions can become life-threatening.

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Related Words

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