unpaired

1 of 2

past tense and past participle of unpair

unpaired

2 of 2

adjective

un·​paired ˌən-ˈperd 

: not paired : such as

a

: not matched or mated

unpaired socks

Brooks Brothers now offers the "Wardrobe" option, which includes unpaired jackets and pants in matching materials, so that a man can shop for a suit the same way a woman does.

—Mary Lisa Gavenas

b

: being an electron that does not share its orbital with another electron

… free radicals, molecules with unpaired electrons that are eager to pair up.

—Marla Vacek Broadfoot

Synonyms

Adjective

• odd
• unmatched

Examples of unpaired in a Sentence

Adjective

found an unpaired shoe in the back of the closet

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Each man then rejects all but his more preferred suitor, resulting in a tentative match for some contestants, while others remain unpaired. —Max Springer, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2024

Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 13 Aug. 2024

Ginger's antioxidants can help neutralize harmful free radicals, which are molecules with at least one set of unpaired electrons. —Johna Burdeos, Health, 2 July 2024

These included stretches where nearby sections of the RNA could base-pair with each other, leaving an unpaired loop of RNA in between. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1598, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

unpaired

adjective

un·​paired ˌən-ˈpa(ə)rd 

-ˈpe(ə)rd,

ˈən-

: not paired

especially : not matched or mated

an unpaired shoe

Medical Definition

unpaired

adjective

un·​paired ˌən-ˈpa(ə)rd, -ˈpe(ə)rd 

1

a

: not paired

especially : not matched or mated

b

: characterized by the absence of pairing

electrons in the unpaired state

2

: situated in the median plane of the body

an unpaired anatomical part

also : not matched by a corresponding part on the opposite side