unmet

American  

[uhn-met] / ʌnˈmɛt /

adjective

1. not responded to adequately; not satisfied or fulfilled, as a need, expectation, challenge, etc..

   Migrant health centers could address an important unmet need for health services among farmworkers and their families.

2. (of a minimum amount) not reached.

   If the production line is disrupted, the result will be everything from defective products to unmet quotas.

3. not personally or physically encountered.

   This is an essay on my longtime, unmet friend, the mystic Thomas Merton.

4. (of a traveler) not greeted or picked up on arrival.

   Outside the terminal, pushy taxi drivers were vying to get the few unmet passengers into decrepit taxis.

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Etymology

Origin of unmet

First recorded before 1100; un- ¹ ( def. ) + met ( def. )

Example Sentences

Hadar writes a blog called The Future Is L.A., which is part love letter to Los Angeles and part lament on unmet potential.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2026

Analysts view Lowe’s HomeCare+ as a differentiated solution addressing an unmet need for various homeowner demographics.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

"Some parents are literally grieving children lost after years of unmet need, school trauma, mental health collapse, and systemic failure."

From BBC • May 20, 2026

Construction of these properties is so far undeterred by those higher costs because of still unmet demand from hyperscalers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Tonight’s visit to Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In would go down with nothing but unmet expectations.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith