unsolicited

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌʌnsəˈlɪsɪtɪd/ UK /ˌʌnsəˈlɪsɪtɪd/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
given or done without being requested

She offered unsolicited advice on his marriage.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · given or done without being... unrequesteduninvited unasked gratuitous voluntary spontaneous

Opposites

solicited requested invited wanted

Word family

Derived forms unsolicitedly

Related forms solicit solicited solicitation

Etymology

From un- ('not') + solicited, from solicit, from Old French solliciter, from Latin sollicitare ('to disturb, agitate'), from sollicitus ('thoroughly moved, anxious'), from sollus ('whole') + citus ('aroused').

un- Old English sollicitare Latin

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Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# unsolicited

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˌʌnsəˈlɪsɪtɪd
**IPA (UK):** ˌʌnsəˈlɪsɪtɪd

## Meanings
1. given or done without being requested

## Examples
- She offered unsolicited advice on his marriage.

## Synonyms
- unrequested
- uninvited
- unasked
- gratuitous
- voluntary
- spontaneous

## Antonyms
- solicited
- requested
- invited
- wanted

## Derived Forms
- unsolicitedly

## Related Forms
- solicit
- solicited
- solicitation

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: sollicitare

## Etymology
From un- ('not') + solicited, from solicit, from Old French solliciter, from Latin sollicitare ('to disturb, agitate'), from sollicitus ('thoroughly moved, anxious'), from sollus ('whole') + citus ('aroused').

## AI Etymology
Unsolicited comes from un- ('not') + solicited, from solicit, from Old French solliciter, from Latin sollicitare ('to disturb, agitate'), from sollicitus ('thoroughly moved, anxious'), from sollus ('whole') + citus ('aroused'). In current use it is an adjective meaning "given or done without being requested". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The prefix un- is negative or privative, marking the absence, denial, or opposite of the base idea. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The historical chain includes Old English un- and Latin sollicitare. Related English forms include solicit, solicited, and solicitation. A derived form is unsolicitedly. As a result, the modern word is best read as a negative, privative, or reversative formation built on a historically older base.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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unsolicited

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