unmanned

adjective

un·​manned ˌən-ˈmand 

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

MassDOT’s Aeronautics Division announced the successful completion of tests for the use of drones for medical deliveries Monday — advancing another potential use of the unmanned aircrafts in Massachusetts. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 20 Mar. 2025

From sidling up to underwater volcanoes to exploring hydrothermal vent fields, these underwater robots are the 21st century’s deep-sea filmmakers, conducting unmanned missions to film and collect critical marine data. —Bill Gourgey, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2025

On March 6, a dramatic turn of events unfolded in the skies when a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded during a unmanned test flight not long after liftoff in Boca Chica, Texas. —Ashley Vega, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025

Additionally, integrated sensors will allow these decoys to function as unmanned ground sensors, further enhancing their strategic value. —Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1544, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unmanned

• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand
• hinterland
• motherland

Kids Definition

unmanned

adjective

un·​manned ˌən-ˈmand 

ˈən-

: having no crew aboard

an unmanned spacecraft