unsolicited
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of unsolicited
Explanation
Something unsolicited was not asked for and possibly not wanted. Unsolicited calls and advice come whether we want them or not. One very common use of this word is in discussing "unsolicited advice" or feedback, which definitely has a negative spin. If someone is butting into your business, telling you what you should do, they're giving unsolicited advice. Junk mail is unsolicited. Phone calls trying to sell you something are unsolicited. Unsolicited seems negative, but it can be used positively. If you give compliments that are unsolicited, then you offer them spontaneously and honestly — that's something people like.
Vocabulary lists containing unsolicited
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 7
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Summer of the Mariposas
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One of Us Is Lying
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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.
All the money without the unsolicited advice that bothered Kennedy—the perfect shareholder.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
Back button hijacking is when a website interferes with a browser so the back button no longer takes users to the previous page, instead often keeping them on the site or presenting unsolicited ads.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
Unilever’s wake-up call came in 2017 with an unsolicited takeover approach from Kraft Heinz, then lauded for its skill in cutting costs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
When we’re fire-hosed instructions, analysis, pre-fab emails, ready-made manuscripts and unsolicited offers of help, where does all of that come from?
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026
Grandma must have told me about a million unsolicited half-English, half-Fante stories about everything from our family to mythology.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
