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Etymology and origin of the English word unanswered

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1390 Gower, Confessio Amantis
Ultimate origins
English un-,-edOld English andswaru
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English answer
English unanswered

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ʌnˈɑːntsəd/, /ʌnˈɑːnsəd/[1]
  • US: /ʌnˈæntsɚd/, /ʌnˈænsɚd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + answer + -ed,[2][3] or in the analysis of Merriam-Webster and the MED from un- and answēred, the past participle of answēren (“to answer”).[4][5] The Middle English form unansuerd is first recorded in Gower.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not answered, not replied to: 1390, in Gower's Confessio Amantis, of a claim that went unanswered.[2][5] Etymonline dates it to the late 14th century, with the sense "not opposed by a reply".[3]

Semantic evolution

Johnson (1755) listed three senses: not opposed by a reply, not refuted, and not suitably returned, quoting Dryden's "long unanswer'd fire" for the last.[6] The sense "not returned in kind", of love and the like, is still in use,[4] and a recent sports use describes points scored one after another while the other side scores none.[4][7]

Timeline

  • 1390 – not answered or replied to.[2][5]
  • 1755 – Johnson: not opposed by a reply; not refuted; not suitably returned.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not answered or replied to: Three unanswered emails sat in her inbox.[8][4][7]
  2. Not refuted: The critic's objection went unanswered.[4][6]
  3. Not returned in kind; unrequited: unanswered love.[4][6]
  4. In sports, scored in succession while the other side does not score: They ran off fifteen unanswered points.[4][7]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  6. ^ a b c d Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Unanswered.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/unanswered. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·