unmanned

adjective

un·​manned ˌən-ˈmand How to pronounce unmanned (audio)
1
see usage paragraph below : not carrying, staffed, or performed by people : not manned
an unmanned railroad crossing
unmanned spaceflight
2
of a hawk : not trained
Usage of Manned and Unmanned

While manned and unmanned are still commonly used in news sources to describe spaceflights, NASA has since the early 21st century used and prescribed non-gender-specific terms, preferring such descriptors as human, piloted, and crewed for the former, and unpiloted and uncrewed for the latter.

Examples of unmanned in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The destroyer shot down three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three anti-ship cruise missiles, and seven unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, McLane revealed during the Surface Navy Association conference last Tuesday, according to specialist outlet The War Zone. Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025 No one was injured in the fire at the unmanned station. Simone Jasper, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025 Based on several years of operations, the proponents of this approach are seeking to allow an unmanned follower truck. Richard Bishop, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025 Debris from SpaceX Starship streaks through the sky SpaceX's Starship exploded during an unmanned test flight. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for unmanned 

Word History

First Known Use

1544, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unmanned was in 1544

Dictionary Entries Near unmanned

Cite this Entry

“Unmanned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unmanned. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

unmanned

adjective
un·​manned ˌən-ˈmand How to pronounce unmanned (audio)
ˈən-
: having no crew aboard
an unmanned spacecraft

More from Merriam-Webster on unmanned

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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