unasked
Americanadjective
-
not requested or demanded
-
not invited
Etymology
Origin of unasked
Middle English word dating back to 1225–75; see origin at un- 1, ask, -ed 2
Explanation
Unasked is a word that can either describe something that you didn't ask for (and possibly didn't want), or a question that is not spoken out loud. When you haven't requested something but get it anyway, it's unasked for, like the unasked for cold you woke up with on your birthday, or the unasked for advice your sister is always giving you. An unasked question is usually one that is implied: "I answered her unasked question by sadly shaking my head." In the 13th century, this adjective instead meant "uninvited."
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.
Left unasked is whether such efforts make it harder for inmates to endure prison life and make the transition from incarceration to life on the outside.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
Mother, it seems, has been freelancing on her son’s behalf – unasked – by poking a few of her D.C. connections to smooth Paul’s acquisition of UBA.
From Salon • Oct. 21, 2023
Using artificial intelligence, the new devices can automatically detect something is wrong and make an emergency call unasked.
From Washington Post • Nov. 19, 2021
But what it mourns most deeply are the questions for a dead father that went unasked, and the understanding that might have been.
From New York Times • Oct. 3, 2021
Always remember that there’s no such thing as a dumb question except if it goes unasked.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
