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.
Five families are each seeking $15 million from the penalty payment, but their requests to the Justice Department have gone unanswered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
But after months of unanswered questions, Martha was intent to get some answers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Our repeated requests to film with the IDF on patrol in the West Bank this year have so far gone unanswered.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
But it leaves unanswered one of the most important questions in retirement planning: How much of that spending is truly essential?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Steve did not take kindly to the prison head’s jab, and he was incapable of letting an insult go unanswered.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
