unguarded

American  

[uhn-gahr-did] / ʌnˈgɑr dɪd /

adjective

1. not guarded; guard; unprotected; undefended.

   Synonyms:

   defenseless

2. open; frank; guileless.

   an unguarded manner.

3. 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.

4. not cautious or discreet; careless.

   In an unguarded moment he had told her about his affair.

   Synonyms:

   indiscreet

5. without a safeguard, as a cover, barrier, or shield, for protection.

   an unguarded buzz saw.

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unguarded British  

/ ʌnˈɡɑːdɪd /

adjective

1. unprotected; vulnerable

2. guileless; open; frank

3. incautious or careless

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Other Word Forms

• unguardedly adverb
• unguardedness noun

Etymology

Origin of unguarded

First recorded in 1585–95; un- ¹ + guarded

Example Sentences

In the morning we said goodbye to Abu before we went out on the lake, and, for the first time, I saw that smile—a real, unguarded smile.

From Literature

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

The French international was reduced to tears after pouncing on a Pope error to roll into an unguarded net.

From Barron's

The theft is thought to have taken place after the driver for a civilian transport company - contracted by the military - left his truck in an unguarded parking lot overnight on 25 November.

From BBC

The stroke seems to have stripped away some of his old formality, leaving him more open, unguarded, even amused by his own lapses.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• candid
• indiscreet
• offhand
• spontaneous