unbidden
Americanadjective
-
not ordered or commanded; spontaneous.
-
not asked or summoned; uninvited.
adjective
-
not ordered or commanded; voluntary or spontaneous
-
not invited or asked
Etymology
Origin of unbidden
before 1050; Middle English unbiden, Old English unbēden. See un- 1, bidden
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.
Norishige Sato’s culture shock came in the form of the free chips and salsa that arrived unbidden at a Mexican restaurant in Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Images from that novel come to me unbidden when I’m alone making ramen, leaning into a cold wind or calming down my hypervigilant Doberman mutt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
Lyrical scraps would flash unbidden, like hallucinations, in the decades to follow.
From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
"Those with the syndrome experience frequent unbidden intrusive memories of the traumatic event."
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2023
It was a strange, unbidden question, and she did not ask it aloud.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
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.
