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gunless

gunless

1 4.7
Not carrying a gun
  • adjective
  • /ˈɡʌnləs/
: sin armas
  • Let's apply 'lessons learned' in Vietnam to this gunless war and not shoot ourselves in the foot with debt to the point we have to call the medics of other countries in the form of financial aid, which renders us 'patients' for generations to come!

Examples

  • In the 1960s and early 1970s, the gunless Soviet Union's murder rates paralleled or generally exceeded those of gun-ridden America.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The dubiousness of assuming that the gun sales caused the rise in murder rather than the reverse might have been clearer had it been known in this period that virtually the same murder rate increase was occurring in gunless Russia.

    Academic text (2007)
  • I am gunless, and I miss them.

    Blog text (9)
  • Thus, it is not just the murder rate in gunless Russia that is four times higher than the American rate; the Russian suicide rate is also about four times higher than the American rate.

    Academic text (2007)
  • It is raining hard as he rides out, hatless, shoeless, and gunless, but clutching to his chest ADA's engraved key.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The peacekeeping mission is organized by a gunless group of volunteers who advocate for non-violence.

  • He felt safer walking through the city while gunless, knowing there were no firearms in his possession.

  • The documentary highlighted the struggles of gunless communities aiming to reduce violence and promote safety.

Synonyms

unarmed
vsgunless
135 2.7

A person who is not carrying any weapons

refers only to lacking shooting tools rather than all attack items
weaponless
vsgunless
1 4.6

Not carrying anything that can be used to hurt someone

is narrower meaning lacking shooting tools not all attack items

Antonyms

∞ 2.7

Carrying weapons for attack or protection

How Armed

armed
∞ 2.7
gunless
1 4.7
defenseless
  • US
73 3.5

Surface Forms

gunless positive

Morphology

gunless = gun (transparent) = gun + less

The adjective is a straightforward formation from the noun 'gun' with the productive suffix '-less' meaning 'without', so learners can derive the meaning easily.

Etymology

Gunless comes from the simple parts gun and -less, where -less means 'without', as in homeless or careless. So gunless just means 'without a gun'.