unadopted

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Not legally taken into a family as a child, or not taken in by a new owner, as with an animal.

   Grammar: Usually before a noun or after remain: an unadopted pet, the dog remained unadopted.

   Patterns

   • remain unadopted
   • an unadopted child

   The shelter was full of unadopted dogs waiting for new homes.

   Many older children remain unadopted for years.

   The kitten stayed unadopted until a family visited on Saturday.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounBritish

   Describing a road or path that the local authority has not taken over responsibility for maintaining.

   Grammar: Mainly British; the owners, not the council, usually pay for upkeep.

   Patterns

   • an unadopted road

   Residents of the unadopted road must share the cost of repairs.

   The surface of the unadopted lane was full of holes.

   They bought a house on an unadopted street without checking who maintained it.

3. 3adjectivecomparableformal

   Not formally accepted or approved, as with a plan, motion or policy.

   Grammar: Often used in formal or political writing about proposals.

   Patterns

   • remain unadopted
   • an unadopted proposal

   The proposal remained unadopted after the committee failed to reach a vote.

   An unadopted policy cannot be enforced.

   The council left the plan unadopted for another year.

Common combinations

an unadopted road

The solicitor warned them that the road outside was unadopted.

remain unadopted

The pet remained unadopted all summer.

unadopted children

Charities speak up for unadopted children who spend years in care.

unadopted proposal

The unadopted proposal was put forward again at the next meeting.

unadopted policy

The unadopted policy had no legal force.

Synonyms and how they differ

unclaimed

Unclaimed means no one has come to collect it, and fits lost property or pets more than children or roads.

unapproved

Unapproved suits plans and proposals, but not children or roads.

private

For roads, private can mean the same as unadopted, but it focuses on ownership rather than council maintenance.

rejected

Rejected means actively turned down, whereas unadopted can simply mean no decision was made.

Opposites

Word family

adopt verb

to take a child, pet, idea or road as one's own responsibility

adopted adjective

taken in or accepted

adoption noun

the act of adopting

adoptive adjective

relating to the parents who adopted a child

Commonly confused: unadopted or unadoptable?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “unadopted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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