unasked
Americanadjective
-
not requested or demanded
-
not invited
Etymology
Origin of unasked
Middle English word dating back to 1225–75; see origin at un- 1, ask, -ed 2
Explanation
Unasked is a word that can either describe something that you didn't ask for (and possibly didn't want), or a question that is not spoken out loud. When you haven't requested something but get it anyway, it's unasked for, like the unasked for cold you woke up with on your birthday, or the unasked for advice your sister is always giving you. An unasked question is usually one that is implied: "I answered her unasked question by sadly shaking my head." In the 13th century, this adjective instead meant "uninvited."
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.
For the AI industry, a key design question has gone largely unasked: Is the product building human capacity or consuming it?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
It’s worth noting that Coelen offered this perspective unasked, and as a tangent to a conversation about the relationship “Love Is Blind” participants have to broader social and political conversations simmering throughout American culture.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2024
“And that unasked request, if you answer it, can be very dangerous. It can be at best confusing and at worst dangerous.”
From New York Times ● May 13, 2022
Using artificial intelligence, the new devices can automatically detect something is wrong and make an emergency call unasked.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 19, 2021
The man, who had received two or three nice presents from her unasked, thought she was lying and was trying to tell him to shove off.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
![]()
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.