Meaning & use
unsolicited
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Given or sent without the receiver having asked for it, often when it is not wanted.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: unsolicited advice, unsolicited emails.
Patterns
- unsolicited advice
- unsolicited offer
- unsolicited mail
I received an unsolicited email offering me a free vacation.
He gave me some unsolicited advice about my haircut.
The company ignores unsolicited job applications.
adjectivebefore a noun
Offered willingly and spontaneously, without being prompted, and sometimes welcome.
Grammar: Here the tone can be positive: unsolicited praise.
Patterns
- an unsolicited compliment
- unsolicited testimonial
The restaurant displayed an unsolicited review from a happy customer.
She wrote an unsolicited letter thanking the nurse for her care.
His unsolicited offer to help moved us to tears.
Common combinations
- unsolicited advice
- Nobody likes unsolicited advice about how to raise children.
- unsolicited email
- Unsolicited email fills the inbox every morning.
- unsolicited offer
- The firm received an unsolicited offer to buy its shares.
- unsolicited manuscript
- The publisher rarely reads an unsolicited manuscript.
- unsolicited phone call
- I hung up on an unsolicited phone call about insurance.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unrequested
- Unrequested is a plain, neutral word, whereas unsolicited often carries a hint of annoyance.
- uninvited
- Uninvited fits people or comments that arrive without an invitation, but is less common for mail and offers.
- unasked-for
- Unasked-for is more conversational and typically used for opinions or help.
- voluntary
- Voluntary stresses free choice by the giver, while unsolicited stresses that the receiver did not ask.
Opposites
Word family
- solicit verb
- to ask for something such as money or opinions
- solicitation noun
- a request for money or support
- soliciting noun
- the act of asking for something
Commonly confused: unsolicited or solicitor?
unsolicited vs solicitor
In Britain a solicitor is a type of lawyer; it is not the same as the verb solicit, which means to ask for something.
Practice
Which phrase describes advice that a stranger gives you even though you never asked?
Choose one answer.
Unsolicited means not asked for. Requested is the opposite, and paid or expert advice does not say whether anyone asked.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unsolicited”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.