un
pronoun
one.
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un
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UN
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un-
un-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 ).
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'un
un
1 American
[uhn]
/ ən /
Or
'un
pronoun
Dialect.
UN
2
American
Or
U.N.
abbreviation
un-
3
American
un-
4
American
un-
1
British
prefix
-
denoting reversal of an action or state
uncover
untangle
-
denoting removal from, release, or deprivation
unharness
unman
unthrone
-
(intensifier)
unloose
UN
2
British
abbreviation
'un
3
British
/ ən /
pronoun
un-
4
British
prefix
Usage
This spelling is intended to reflect a dialectal or informal pronunciation
Synonym Usage
See in- 3.
Etymology
Origin of un-3
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
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-
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.
See Examples For:
Nerves crept in, and as the match entered extra time, Spain began to fear that this final would go down as un robo, a robbery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Boris Johnson, who was prime minister at the time, told the French they should "prenez un grip" and "donnez-moi un break".
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2025
If you do, you’re likely to respond to “Femme Piquée par un Serpent” with ambivalence and frustration.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
Another shocker was Peso Pluma crooning brightly on Uchis’ disco cut, “Igual que un Ángel.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
Basel and Muhammad taught me how to lace and un lace them, and I practiced and practiced until I could do it easily.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
The UN agency said healthy life expectancy had recovered from the pandemic more slowly, standing at 62.8 years in 2023 -- 0.4 years below the 2019 level.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
The UN has also warned that the deteriorating security situation is severely disrupting humanitarian work in northern Ethiopia.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
A recent UN report estimated that sustained counter-terrorism pressure by Iraqi security forces had left IS with several hundred fighters who were "able to carry out unsophisticated operations only".
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Their transfer abruptly became public when Zelensky announced during his UN General Assembly speech that they had been transferred to South Korea.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
That's the idea I had gotten from the UN caseworkers, and from anything I had ever seen on TV over the years.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
What fascinating characters “The English” has at the margins quickly cycle in and out of the miniseries — bad men and women whose motivations and backgrounds remain un- or underexplored.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2022
Eating un- or undercooked shellfish that harbor vibrio can lead to vomiting and diarrhea.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 18, 2022
This sense of being un- or under-written raises the spectre of another English author, Rachel Cusk, whose “Outline” trilogy dispenses with many of the classic techniques—plot, dialogue—that give fiction shape.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 24, 2018
And they’re accompanied by new ghouls: unexplored tabs, undigested takedowns, unheeded #longread tips, unfinished explainers, unwatched unearthed footage, unplumbed Netflix queues, and un- and un- and un-.
From Slate ● Dec. 14, 2014
Eventually we slowed to a trot and I found the courage to un- bury my face from the rider’s jacket and take in the changing landscape.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
The young ’un is Trey McKinney, a wiry prodigy who broke into Elite Series fishing in his teens and has twice finished runner-up for Angler of the Year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
“I can tell a wrong ‘un a mile away.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2022
She said the experience had "sharpened her instinct" and that as a result she could "tell a wrong 'un a mile away".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2022
In French, it’s called ‘un sot-l’y-laisse’—i.e., only an idiot leaves it behind.”
From Fox News ● Jul. 24, 2020
“That baint the way to name 'un, measter, not in the ’ood.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
