unearned

[uhn-urnd]

adjective

1. not received in exchange for labor or services; not gained by lawful work or employment.

2. not earned; earn; unmerited; undeserved.

   unearned promotion.

3. not yet earned: earn.

   Lenders are not permitted to take borrowers' unearned wages as collateral.

unearned

/ ʌnˈɜːnd /

adjective

1. not deserved

2. not yet earned

Word History and Origins

Origin of unearned¹

Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; un- ¹, earn ¹, -ed ²

Example Sentences

He gave up only two unearned runs in 6 ⅔ innings with nine strikeouts, and he’s clearly ready for the next step.

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Blur even satirized grunge music with its megahit “Song 2,” a song of nonsense lyrics and unearned vim.

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Some of his self-flagellation feels unearned — which I suppose is often the case with self-flagellation.

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In the first inning, center fielder Hyeseong Kim lost a fly ball in the twilight sky, leading to two runs that would have been unearned had it not been ruled a double.

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But then the already goofy “Flight or Flight” takes a turn to the insanely cartoonish as it begins its descent, into a tangle of hallucinatory madness, unearned twists and mind-boggling cliffhangers.

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