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.
Why we’re to care about this apparent flash of horror, if not of conscience, remains unexplained.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Writing the rules of this unexplained, Sartre-esque reality the group has found themselves in, Ullom wisely allows some things to remain unchanged.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
"While historians have occasionally noted these remarks, they have generally treated them as unexplained references," said Prof Licence.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Other Palestinian students hoping to study in Turkey, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium face similar unexplained delays, the student said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Maybe we should start keeping a record of unexplained stuff.”
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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.
