unbidden

adjective

un·​bid·​den ˌən-ˈbi-dᵊn 

variants or less commonly unbid

ˌən-ˈbid 

: not bidden : unasked, uninvited

barged in unbidden

Synonyms

• unasked
• uninvited
• unsolicited
• unsought

Examples of unbidden in a Sentence

thoughts that come to the mind unbidden

she arrived, unbidden, to help out at the Red Cross center

Recent Examples on the Web

Standards from every period of our lives remain cross-indexed in our brains to be called up in whole, or in part, or, in fact, to come to mind unbidden. —E.l. Doctorow, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025

Every screen suddenly has a logo either urging the user to try an A.I. service or signaling that an A.I. product has been delivered unbidden. —Tom Scocca, airmail.news, 5 Oct. 2024

Eliza Barry Callahan’s The Hearing Test seems to be about a temporary loss of hearing but is actually one woman’s rehearsal for the losses that come, unbidden, for us all. —The New York Review of Books, 29 Nov. 2024

The surprise, unbidden possibility of victory endowed Harris with a mystique. —Matthew Continetti, National Review, 7 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English unbiden, unbeden, from Old English unbeden, from un- + beden, past participle of biddan to entreat — more at bid entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

unbidden

adjective

un·​bid·​den ˌən-ˈbid-ᵊn 

variants also unbid

-ˈbid 

: not bidden : unasked, uninvited

she barged in unbidden