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.
Although the discovery sheds light on a previously unexplained symptom, important questions remain.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
And, as the couple from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, prepare to mark his first birthday without him, they are still waiting for answers about his unexplained death.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Nature, politics and his unexplained health issues will have a say in that matter.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
In 2024, unexplained drones were spotted flying in the U.K. near bases used by the U.S. military at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Fairford.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Brian was a member of Leon’s algebra class and he didn’t want to take any chances with extra homework or sudden unexplained F’s on exams.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
