unguarded
Americanadjective
-
not guarded; guard; unprotected; undefended.
- Synonyms:
- defenseless
-
open; frank; guileless.
an unguarded manner.
-
exposed to attack or capture by the opponent without recourse by the player, as a card, chess piece, etc..
an unguarded queen of clubs; an unguarded pawn.
-
not cautious or discreet; careless.
In an unguarded moment he had told her about his affair.
- Synonyms:
- indiscreet
-
without a safeguard, as a cover, barrier, or shield, for protection.
an unguarded buzz saw.
adjective
-
unprotected; vulnerable
-
guileless; open; frank
-
incautious or careless
Other Word Forms
- unguardedly adverb
- unguardedness noun
Etymology
Origin of unguarded
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.
The government blamed the disorder on a ragged retreat by the Syrian Democratic Forces that left the camp unguarded for hours and made it difficult to re-establish security.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
Halfway through “Melania’s” 104-minute running time, it occurred to me that it would feel scandalous if Ratner so much as taped her doing something as human and unguarded as eating a bite of food.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
The French international was reduced to tears after pouncing on a Pope error to roll into an unguarded net.
From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026
The broadcaster said the driver left the vehicle in an unguarded parking lot and spent the night in a nearby hotel.
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025
On my way back to the infirmary one afternoon, I see a rice ball left unguarded beside an old woman.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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.
