unmanned

American  

[uhn-mand] / ˌʌnˈmænd /

adjective

1. without the physical presence of a person or people on board; uncrewed.

   an unmanned spacecraft.

2. Falconry. (of a captured hawk) untrained for hunting with a master; unmade.

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unmanned British  

/ ʌnˈmænd /

adjective

1. lacking personnel or crew

   an unmanned ship

2. (of aircraft, spacecraft, etc) operated by automatic or remote control

3. uninhabited

4. falconry (of a hawk or falcon) not yet trained to accept humans

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Etymology

Origin of unmanned

First recorded in 1535–45; un- ¹ ( def. ) + manned ( def. )

Example Sentences

Airbus is also working on an unmanned version of the H145 helicopter, known as the Lakota in the United States, for the US Navy, a major customer for the conventional model.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The small number of unmanned surface vessels in the region are still years away from being the autonomous fighting machines their manufacturers have promised, military officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

On Friday, the Pentagon awarded privately held Anduril a $20 billion contract in part to counter unmanned aerial systems — drones, that is.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

Libyan port officials said initially that the tanker had sunk, but it has been floating, unmanned and dangerous ever since.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Apparently inspired by the black wave, some enterprising rebel commander came up with the idea of confiscating people’s abandoned automobiles and sending them unmanned down the streets.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins