unwed

adjective

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

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.
To uphold traditional values and avoid unwed pregnancies, parents might arrange marriages for daughters as young as twelve or thirteen, in customary ceremonies that didn’t carry legal force. H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 12 Dec. 2024 Watson plays Sister Mary, whose convent is concealing a Magdalene Laundry, businesses run jointly by the Church and the Irish state where unwed mothers were consigned to repent of their sins, do hard labor and ultimately deliver their babies for adoption. Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024 The doctor is haunted by the infamous, punitive, Magdalene laundries, to which, under his watch, an unwed mother and her baby were sent 20 years earlier. Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Nov. 2024 Murphy’s latest project, Small Things Like These, depicting the horrors of Ireland’s church’s abusive workhouses for unwed mothers, is set for a Nov. 1 release in the U.K., and Nov. 8 in the U.S. Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Sep. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near unwed

Cite this Entry

“Unwed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwed. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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