unwed

adjective

un·​wed ˌən-ˈwed How to pronounce unwed (audio)
Synonyms of unwednext
1
: not married
an unwed mother
unwed couples
2
: of or relating to unmarried persons
an unwed pregnancy

Synonyms of unwed

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Examples of unwed in a Sentence

most of the employees at that small company are unwed
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
There, the Catholic Church once ran homes for unwed mothers. — Greg Dixon, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025 Social media profiles indicate that he was unwed at the time of his death and did not have any children. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 15 June 2026 People were hard on unwed mothers back then, and my parents wanted to give Louise, his mom, a second chance. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 14 Feb. 2026 Larry was born in New York City in 1944 to an unwed teenage mother, who gave him up for adoption at 9 months old. — Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unwed

Word History

First Known Use

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unwed was in 1513

Rhymes for unwed

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Browse Nearby Words

unwebbed
unwed
unwedge
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Cite this Entry

“Unwed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwed. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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