unanswered
Britishadjective
Explanation
If something is unanswered, it gets no response, even when one is asked for or expected. So that unanswered text message? It hasn't gotten a reply. An unanswered phone call isn't answered but instead just rings and rings endlessly. An unanswered question hovers there without a response, like when your dad asks, "Who's responsible for this mess?" and none of your siblings says a thing. If you write dozens of letters to your favorite Hollywood star but don't get a reply, those are (sadly) unanswered too.
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.
She is unsure whether they should have a child, but her repeated attempts to reach Max go unanswered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
According to Schwab, multiple attempts to connect with Raman’s office after the initial meeting went unanswered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
There are many unanswered questions which a coroner will no doubt be expected to consider about his circumstances and state of mind in the days before his death.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Whether artificial intelligence created the mangled pages remains unanswered.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Most of her texts to me went unanswered until eventually she stopped sending them.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
