un

or 'un

[ uhn ]

pronounDialect.

one: young uns; He's a bad un.

Other definitions for UN (2 of 4)

abbreviation

United Nations (def. 1).

Other definitions for un- (3 of 4)

un-¹

a prefix meaning “not,” freely used as an English formative, giving negative or opposite force in adjectives and their derivative adverbs and nouns (unfair; unfairly; unfairness; unfelt; unseen; unfitting; unformed; unheard-of; un-get-at-able), and less freely used in certain other nouns (unrest; unemployment).

Origin of un-

Middle English un-, on-,Old English; cognate with Dutch on-,Gothic, German un-,Old Norse ū-, ō-; akin to Latin in-,Greek an-, a-.See a-⁶, an-¹, in-³

synonym study For un-

See in-³.

Compare un-².

Other definitions for un- (4 of 4)

un-²

a prefix freely used in English to form verbs expressing a reversal of some action or state, or removal, deprivation, release, etc. (unbend; uncork; unfasten, etc.), or to intensify the force of a verb already having such a meaning (unloose).

Origin of un-

⁴

Middle English, Old English un-, on-; cognate with Gothic and-,Dutch ont-,German ent-; akin to Latin ante,Greek antí;cf. ante-, anti-

Compare un-¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use un in a sentence

Peace employed the phonetic method of pronouncing words, and to her young eyes u-n-i-o-n was easily onion.
At the Little Brown House | Ruth Alberta Brown
U-n-ya-muezi—Country of Moon—must have been one of the largest kingdoms in Africa.
The Discovery of the Source of the Nile | John Hanning Speke
Uniki (u-n-ki)--the dbut or the first public performance of a hula actor.
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii | Nathaniel Bright Emerson
No, I said the scientific name for sunflowers, you know, s-u-n-f-l-o-w-e-r-s.
The Librarian at Play | Edmund Lester Pearson
One is the upper, and the other the low country, or rather what some call the "co-u-n-try-b-o-r-n" cracker.
Manuel Pereira | F. C. Adams

British Dictionary definitions for 'un (1 of 4)

'un

un

/ (ən) /

pronoun

a spelling of one that's a big 'un

usage For 'un

This spelling is intended to reflect a dialectal or informal pronunciation

British Dictionary definitions for UN (2 of 4)

abbreviation for

United Nations

British Dictionary definitions for un- (3 of 4)

un-¹

prefix

(freely used with adjectives, participles, and their derivative adverbs and nouns: less frequently used with certain other nouns) not; contrary to; opposite of: uncertain; uncomplaining; unemotionally; untidiness; unbelief; unrest; untruth

Origin of un-

from Old English on-, un-; related to Gothic on-, German un-, Latin in-

British Dictionary definitions for un- (4 of 4)

un-²

prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives

denoting reversal of an action or state: uncover; untangle
denoting removal from, release, or deprivation: unharness; unman; unthrone

(intensifier): unloose

Origin of un-

⁴

from Old English un-, on-; related to Gothic and-, German ent-, Latin ante

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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