unsought

adjective

ˌən-ˈsȯt How to pronounce unsought (audio)
Definition of unsoughtnext
as in unwanted
not searched or asked for the meddling neighbor insisted on giving us unsought advice

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unsought On the 21st of April, only a third of the way through spring, our 88 degrees may have seemed thermal precocity, an unsought rush to summer. — Martin Weil, Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2023 The Sugarplum Fairy, after an unsought interregnum, is presiding over the Land of Sweets at the New York City Ballet. — Michael Paulson, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2022 The federal ban on vaping on commercial flights, instituted in 2016, was meant to protect passengers from unsought exposure to aerosols. — New York Times, 5 July 2022 What’s more, as Anna Della Subin explores in her bracingly original Accidental Gods, unsought divinity was a remarkably widespread phenomenon that spanned centuries and continents. — Fara Dabhoiwala, The New York Review of Books, 19 Aug. 2021 Dering declined to comment Tuesday about how the media attention has impacted sales and the company, as well as the precariousness of navigating such unsought publicity. — Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019 The boy opened fire, shooting a 13-year-old classmate and a teacher — and putting Alexander in a small, unsought fraternity of innocent people who have survived two gun attacks. — Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, 10 June 2018 Sometimes the oddest unsought advice can be found in your doctor’s waiting room self-help magazines. — Orange County Register, 4 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsought
  1. unwanted
  2. unsolicited
  3. unnecessary
Adjective
  • Researchers are working to reduce unwanted light scattering, which can affect measurement stability.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Lisandro Martinez's outburst following Tuesday's Champions League defeat against Atletico Madrid added more unwanted focus on the club as manager Michael Carrick attempted to turn its ailing campaign around.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of unwanted
Adjective
  • The incident therefore provided Musgraves the punchline to her response to Noem’s unsolicited comparison of the two country singers.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The petition calls for a waiver that would allow political groups to use artificial or prerecorded voices in unsolicited wireless calls.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsolicited
Adjective
  • However, many medical experts and public health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reject these policies as unnecessary and ineffective.
    — Emily J. C. Wong, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The process is intended to prevent unnecessary healthcare costs and limit unnecessary facilities.
    — Eva Flowe October 14, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of unnecessary

Browse Nearby Words

unsorted
unsought
unsound
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unsought.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsought. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All