English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

unspoken

adj

Not said out loud.

unstable

adj

Likely to shift, collapse, or change suddenly; not firmly fixed.

unsteady

adj

Not firmly balanced or supported; shaky.

unstoppable

adj

Impossible to stop or prevent from continuing.

unstuck

adj

No longer stuck or attached.

unsubstantiated

adj

Not backed up by evidence or proof.

unsuccessful

adj

Not achieving the intended result; having failed.

unsuccessfully

adv

Without achieving the desired result.

unsuitable

adj

Not right or appropriate for a particular purpose or situation.

unsullied

adj

Not tainted, stained, or corrupted; kept clean or pure.

unsung

adj

Not praised or given the recognition deserved.

unsupervised

adj

Not watched over or overseen by anyone.

unsure

adj

Not certain or confident about something.

unsuspecting

adj

Not aware that something suspicious, harmful, or unexpected is happening.

unsustainable

adj

Not able to be kept up or maintained over time, especially without causing harm.

unsympathetic

adj

Showing no understanding, pity, or support for someone.

untalented

adj

Lacking natural ability or skill in a particular area.

untamed

adj

Wild and not brought under human control, especially of animals or land.

untangle

verb

To free something from knots or tangles.

untapped

adj

Not yet used or drawn upon, especially resources or potential.

untenable

adj

Impossible to defend or maintain, as of a position, argument, or situation.

untested

adj

Not yet tried out or proven, especially in real conditions.

unthinkable

adj

So extreme or unlikely that it seems impossible to imagine happening.

untidy

adj

Messy or disordered.

untie

verb

To undo a knot or something tied.

untied

adj

Not tied; loosened or undone.

until

prep

Up to the point in time that something happens.

untimely

adj

Happening at a bad or inconvenient moment.

unto

prep

An old-fashioned or formal word for "to", especially showing direction or an indirect object.

untold

adj

Never revealed or spoken about; kept secret.

untouchable

adj

Impossible to touch, harm, or bring down.

untouched

adjective

In its original condition; not damaged or altered in any way.

untoward

adjective

Unfavourable or improper; not what is expected or acceptable.

untraceable

adjective

Impossible to find or track down to its source.

untrained

adjective

Lacking formal instruction or preparation for a task.

untreated

adjective

Not given medical care or a chemical process meant to fix, protect, or purify it.

untrue

adjective

Not true; false.

untrustworthy

adjective

Not deserving of trust; likely to lie, cheat, or let people down.

unturned

adjective

Not turned over or rotated.

untying

noun

The act of loosening or undoing something that was tied.

unusable

adjective

Not fit or able to be used.

unused

adjective

Not put to use.

unusual

adjective

Not usual or ordinary; out of the norm.

unusually

adverb

In a way that is not typical; more than normal.

unveil

verb

To remove a covering and reveal something hidden.

unveiled

adjective

Not wearing or covered by a veil.

unveiling

noun

The act of removing a cover to reveal something.

unwanted

adjective

Not wanted or welcome.

unwarranted

adjective

Not justified or deserved.

unwashed

adjective

Not washed; dirty.

unwavering

adjective

Steady and not shaken; firm and resolute.

unwed

adjective

Not married.

unwelcome

adjective

Not wanted or gladly received.

unwell

adjective

Not feeling well; somewhat ill.

unwilling

adjective

Not willing to do something; reluctant.

unwillingly

adverb

In a reluctant manner; against one's wishes.

unwind

verb

To relax and let go of stress after a busy or tense period.

unwise

adjective

Not wise; showing poor judgment.

unwitting

adjective

Not aware of what is happening; unknowing.

unwittingly

adverb

Without realizing; unintentionally.

unworthy

adjective

Not deserving respect, attention, or a particular honor.

unwrap

verb

To remove the wrapping or covering from something.

unwrapped

adjective

Not covered in wrapping; still in its original, unpacked form.

unwritten

adjective

Not put into writing.

unyielding

adjective

Refusing to give in, bend, or change; firm.

unzip

verb

To open something by pulling apart its zip fastener.

unzipped

adjective

Not fastened with a zip.

unzipping

noun

The act of opening a zip fastener or decompressing a computer file.

up

adverb

Toward or in a higher position; away from the ground.

upbeat

adjective

Cheerful, optimistic, and positive in tone.

upbringing

noun

The way a person was raised and the values instilled in them during childhood.

upcoming

adj

Happening or arriving in the near future.

update

noun

A piece of new or more current information about something.

updating

noun

The process of bringing something up to date.

upfront

adj

Honest and direct, especially about something that might be uncomfortable to say.

upgrade

noun

An improved version of something, often a piece of technology or equipment.

upgraded

adj

Having been improved or replaced with a better version.

upgrading

noun

The process of replacing something with an improved version.

upheaval

noun

A sudden, dramatic change that disrupts the normal state of things.

uphill

adj

Going up a slope; located higher on a hill.

uphold

verb

To support or maintain something, such as a law, principle, or standard.

upholding

noun

The act of supporting or maintaining something.

upholstery

noun

The soft covering, padding, and fabric used on furniture such as chairs and sofas.

upkeep

noun

The ongoing work or cost of keeping something in good condition.

uplift

verb

To raise someone's mood, spirits, or status.

uplifting

adj

Making people feel happier or more hopeful.

uplink

noun

The signal path used to send data from a ground station up to a satellite.

upload

verb

To send data from your own device to a server or another computer over a network.

uploaded

adj

Having been sent from a device to a server or another computer.

uploading

noun

The process of sending data from a device to a server.

upon

prep

A more formal or literary word for "on".

upper

adj

Positioned higher, in rank, level, or physical location, than something else.

uppercut

noun

A punch thrown upward, typically aimed at the opponent's chin.

upping

noun

The act of increasing something.

uppity

adj

Arrogant or self-important, acting as if one is better or more important than one's actual position warrants.

Uppsala

name

A city in Sweden, home to Uppsala University, one of the oldest universities in Scandinavia.

upright

adj

Standing straight up, vertical.

uprising

noun

A rebellion or revolt by a group of people against those in power.

upriver

adv

Toward the source of a river, against the current.

uproar

noun

A loud, chaotic outburst of noise, protest, or anger.

uproot

verb

To pull a plant out of the ground, roots and all.

uprooted

adj

Pulled out by the roots, or forced away from a familiar home or setting.

UPS

verb

To connect a device to a backup power supply so it stays on during an outage.

upscale

adj

Expensive and aimed at wealthier customers.

upset

adj

Unhappy, distressed, or annoyed.

upsetting

adj

Causing distress or sadness.

upshot

noun

The final result or main conclusion of a situation.

upside

noun

The positive or advantageous side of a situation.

upstage

verb

To draw attention away from someone else, often deliberately.

upstairs

adv

To or on a higher floor of a building.

upstanding

adj

Honest, respectable, and morally reliable.

upstart

noun

Someone who has suddenly risen to wealth, power, or status and hasn't yet earned proper social acceptance, or who acts arrogant about it.

upstate

noun

The northern or more rural part of a US state, away from its main city.

upstream

adj

Positioned or moving against the direction a river or current flows.

uptake

noun

The ability to understand or grasp something quickly.

uptight

adj

Overly strict, anxious, or rigid about rules and behaviour; unable to relax.

Upton

name

An English surname and given name, originally a place name meaning "upper settlement."

uptown

noun

The residential or outer part of a city, away from the main business district.

upward

adv

Moving from a lower position to a higher one.

upwards

adv

Toward a higher position; up.

ur

intj

A filler sound used while hesitating or searching for words, similar to "er" or "um."

Urals

name

A mountain range in Russia traditionally considered the boundary between Europe and Asia.

uranium

noun

A heavy, silvery-grey radioactive metal (element 92), used as fuel in nuclear reactors and in nuclear weapons.

Uranus

name

The seventh planet from the Sun, a pale blue-green ice giant discovered in 1781.

urban

adj

Relating to, or located in, a city or town, as opposed to the countryside.

urchin

noun

A young child, especially a poor or mischievous one often seen roaming the streets.

Urdu

name

An Indo-Aryan language, closely related to Hindi, spoken mainly in Pakistan and parts of North India.

urethra

noun

The tube that carries urine out of the body from the bladder.

urge

noun

A strong impulse or desire to do something.

urgency

noun

The quality of needing immediate attention or action.

urgent

adj

Needing immediate attention or action.

urgently

adv

In a way that shows or requires immediate attention.

Uri

name

A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "my light" or "my flame," also a canton in Switzerland.

Uriah

name

A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God is my light," a figure in the Old Testament.

Uriel

name

A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God is my light," also the name of an archangel in Jewish and Christian tradition.

urinal

noun

A fixture, typically wall-mounted, designed for men to urinate into.

urinary

adj

Relating to urine or the organs that produce and pass it.

urinate

verb

To release urine from the body.

urination

noun

The act or process of passing urine out of the body.

urine

noun

The liquid waste produced by the kidneys and released from the body through the bladder.

urn

noun

A decorative vase, often with a rounded body and narrow neck, set on a footed base.

urologist

noun

A doctor who specialises in the urinary system and, in men, the reproductive organs.

Urquhart

name

A Scottish surname, derived from a place name in the Scottish Highlands meaning "on the wooded height."

Ursula

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "little bear."

Uruguay

name

A country in South America, on the Atlantic coast between Argentina and Brazil.

us

pron

The object form of "we" — used to refer to the speaker together with one or more other people.

usable

adj

Able to be used, especially in a practical or convenient way.

usage

noun

The act or amount of using something, such as electricity, data, or a resource.

Usain

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin, notably borne by sprinter Usain Bolt.

use

verb

To employ something for a particular purpose.