unwanted

unwanted — adjective

1. An unwanted person, thing, or situation is one that nobody wishes to have, keep,

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

An unwanted person, thing, or situation is one that nobody wishes to have, keep, or experience.

Example

Naoko found it hard to throw away unwanted gifts, even the ones she never used.

unwanted + noun (gifts, items, objects)

Camila stopped taking the medicine because of the unwanted side effects it caused.

collocation: unwanted side effects

Common collocations
  • unwanted + noun (gifts, emails, attention, side effects, pregnancy, guest, items)
  • feel + unwanted
  • unwanted + by + someone
Synonyms
  • unwelcome

    More personal and social; describes attention, news, or visitors that are actively rebuffed

  • undesirable

    More formal; describes outcomes, effects, or qualities that are disadvantageous

  • unnecessary

    Focuses on lack of need rather than lack of desire; milder than unwanted

Antonyms
  • wanted

    Desired or wished for; the direct opposite

  • desirable

    Worth having or seeking; implies positive qualities

Grammar Patterns

unwanted + noun

be + unwanted

feel + unwanted

Usage Note

Frequently used as an attributive adjective directly before a noun. The noun is often a physical object (gifts, mail, items), a situation (attention, pregnancy, side effects), or occasionally a person (guest, child).

Common Mistakes

This old sofa is unwanted of me now.
This old sofa is no longer wanted.
'unwanted' is an adjective; do not pair it with 'of' as if it were a verb.

Word family

  • want
    verbA1
  • wanted
    adjectiveA2
  • wanting
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Unwanted, unwelcome, and undesirable all describe something not wished for, but differ in scope and typical use. Unwanted is the most general term, applying to objects (unwanted gifts), situations (unwanted attention), and even people (unwanted guests). Unwelcome is more personal and social — an unwelcome visitor or piece of news is actively rebuffed. Undesirable is more formal and often describes qualities or outcomes that are disadvantageous, such as undesirable side effects or undesirable behaviour. For everyday objects you discard, use unwanted. For social situations that make you uncomfortable, unwelcome is sharper. For formal evaluations, undesirable fits better.

unwanted ↗unwelcome ↗undesirable

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • genuinely unwanted
  • clearly unwanted
  • totally unwanted

Prepositions

  • unwanted by + someone
  • unwanted in + place

Etymology

Old EnglishOld NorseEnglish

Formed in English by combining the Old English prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') with the past participle 'wanted', which comes from Old Norse 'vanta' (meaning 'to be lacking'). The word has been in use since at least the 1500s to describe things or people that are not desired.