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
The service ended with the song, I bob un sydd Ffyddlon, before his committal at Thornhill Crematorium.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2025
Living in Paris for a year certainly had its share of stresses, mostly because my French language skills never really advanced beyond me saying, Je parle français un petit peu, before switching to English.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2025
Even if some other upstart nationality makes a 500-foot baguette tomorrow, France will remain numéro un.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2024
It’s just as legitimate to add ize to the end of a word as it is to add un or pre to the beginning.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
"Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend UN General Assembly High Level Week," a spokesman for the US State Department told the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The nation's older cohort is massive -- South Korea is what the UN calls a "super-aged society", where more than 20 percent of the population is over 65.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
The UN rights office said those companies were among 10 AI developers, also including Meta, Microsoft and Google, who received Turk's letter.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
During Israel's military campaign in Gaza more than 73,780 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
The UN had started schools in Pinyudu, and some of the boys went.
From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau
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
So reasonable or un- is the wrong standard.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 2, 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
The elevated price reflects a confluence of both market and organic factors: the un- predictability of supply, the uncontrollable elements that create quality barnacles, the massive seasonal swings in demand.
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2016
Once I step off the bus and look around, trying to orient myself, everything seems un- familiar.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
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
Mr Morris explained: "I said to my partner 'That looks like the couple that were in the news', and she said 'She's definitely got something under that coat. It may be a little 'un'."
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2024
“I can tell a wrong ‘un a mile away.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 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 little 'un that had a mark on his face-where is -he now? I tell you I don't see him."
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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.
