Skip to main content
unasked-for

unasked-for

1 6.2
Given to someone who does not want it
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈæskt fɔr/
translation icon : no solicitado
  • Ann said that Gray Owl looked tired, old, and guilty, as would any host who had caused his guest some unasked-for inconvenience.

Examples

  • Walking in the street beside Marla, Toni felt something again, something she couldn't have named, unasked-for, a kind of grace.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • She felt overwhelmed by the unasked-for opinions everyone shared at the meeting.

  • And a piece of unasked-for advice: NEVER take sleeping tablets.

    Blog text (15)
  • It represents a loss of innocence: a sadder-but-wiser, unasked-for introduction into a world more perplexing and painful than you might ever have imagined.

    Blog text (25)
  • He'd look through the transit, offer unasked-for advice, talk about other surveying jobs, problems in other townships, telling us we were the best crew, with the highest scores on civil service exams and the most energy and initiative.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • His unasked-for suggestions made her doubt her ability to make decisions.

  • They received unasked-for gifts from friends during their wedding celebration.

Synonyms

uninvited
vsunasked-for
41 3.9

Not asked to come and not welcome at a place

is neutral about welcome and focuses on not being requested
unsolicited
vsunasked-for
32 6.7

Not asked for but given anyway

is the broader term for anything not requested, invited, or sought
unasked
vsunasked-for
4 6.1

Given or done without anyone requesting it

is a wider adjective for anything not asked for or sought
unrequested
vsunasked-for
1 5.4

Given or sent to you without you asking

is the general label covering not requested acts or items
uncalled
vsunasked-for
1 6.8

Not asked to speak or take part when others are chosen

is broader, applying to requests or offers beyond appearance or speech
unsummoned
vsunasked-for
1 8.1

Not called or asked to come

is not limited to physical presence and covers any unsolicited case

Antonyms

1.3

Asked for by someone

How Requested

requested
1.3
unasked-for
1 6.2

Surface Forms

unasked-for positive

Morphology

unasked-for = asked-for (transparent) = un + for + ask + ed

The adjective is the negative form of 'asked-for' (requested), so learners who know 'ask/asked' and 'for' plus the prefix 'un-' can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Unasked-for is made from un- meaning 'not', ask meaning 'to request', and for which links the idea to a thing like a gift. So it describes something you did not ask for, 'not wanted', like a present or advice you never requested.