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.
Unanswered questions remain regarding Oracle’s ability to execute on AI infrastructure buildouts.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026
Unanswered questions over the Titan's ill-fated dive have fuelled a lingering debate over safety and regulation in the world of private undersea exploration.
From BBC • Sep. 16, 2024
Tom had little patience for Lenny’s late-night bouts of insecurity and, by his telling, was able to trim some of the excesses from Bernstein’s 1973 Norton Lectures, “The Unanswered Question,” at Harvard University.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2023
Unanswered questions abound as this new era of treatment begins for mild cognitive impairment and early-stage Alzheimer's.
From Salon • Aug. 13, 2023
Unanswered it may be—but scattered and fruitless, not!
From St. Winifred's, or The World of School by Earnshaw, H. C. (Harold C.)
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.
