Meaning & use
unstaffed
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Having no employees working there at a particular time.
Grammar: Describes a place or service with no staff; it goes before a noun or after a linking verb.
Patterns
- an unstaffed office
- leave something unstaffed
The station is unstaffed after 8 p.m., so you must buy your ticket online.
We found the reception desk unstaffed and had to wait.
Many rural post offices are now unstaffed for most of the day.
Common combinations
- unstaffed station
- The unstaffed station has a ticket machine but no ticket office.
- unstaffed office
- The company left the branch unstaffed during the holiday.
- unstaffed desk
- Please ring the bell if you find the desk unstaffed.
- remain unstaffed
- The help point will remain unstaffed until further notice.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unmanned
- Often used for machines or vehicles without a person operating them, while unstaffed is more about a workplace with no employees.
- empty
- Focuses on there being no people at all, not specifically no workers; unstaffed implies the place normally has staff.
Opposites
Word family
Practice
Choose the best word: 'The library is ___ on Sundays, so you can only return books through the slot.'
Choose one answer.
Unstaffed means no employees are working there. Unmanned is usually for machines or vehicles, not buildings. Unstuffed and unstated have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unstaffed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.