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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One of Us Is Lying
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Summer of the Mariposas
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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.
"Avoid links in unsolicited messages, and never give anyone your password, verification codes or wallet recovery phrase."
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
I keep receiving unsolicited calls offering me loans that I have never applied for.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
“Do not provide Social Security numbers, passwords, financial information, or other sensitive personal information in response to unsolicited requests.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
This means banning profiling-based recommender feeds that lead to children seeing harmful content, as well as on reward-type mechanisms, and unsolicited contact from strangers.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Along the bottom of the 5-shaped swirl of his billowing skirt, it said, in an 5-shaped swirl, Emperors of the Realm of Taste—which was Comrade K. N. M. Pillai’s unsolicited contribution.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
