unsettled

adjective

un·​set·​tled ˌən-ˈse-tᵊld 

: not settled: such as

a(1)

: not calm or tranquil : disturbed

unsettled political conditions

(2)

: likely to vary widely especially in the near future : variable

unsettled weather

(3)

: not settled down

unsettled dust

b(1)

: not decided or determined : doubtful

an unsettled state of mind

(2)

: not resolved or worked out : undecided

an unsettled question

c

: characterized by irregularity

an unsettled life

d

: not inhabited or populated

unsettled land

e

: not mentally sound

f(1)

: not disposed of according to law

an unsettled estate

(2)

: not paid or discharged

unsettled debts

unsettledness

ˌən-ˈse-tᵊl(d)-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• capricious
• changeable
• changeful
• fickle
• flickery
• fluctuating
• fluid
• inconsistent
• inconstant
• mercurial
• mutable
• skittish
• temperamental
• uncertain
• unpredictable
• unstable
• unsteady
• variable
• volatile

Examples of unsettled in a Sentence

We have some unsettled business to attend to.

we've been having a lot of unsettled weather lately

Recent Examples on the Web

Workers United, which has a bargaining delegation that represents workers at 525 Starbucks stores in the United States, said the coffee giant has yet to bring a comprehensive economic package to the table, while hundreds of legal disputes over unfair labor practices remain unsettled. —Juveria Tabassum, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024

Lightning from rare coastal thunderstorms that rolled over the rugged, unsettled land would strike mountaintops, sometimes igniting a fire. —Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024

The National Weather Service will monitor flooding threats during this unsettled period. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 13 Dec. 2024

But critics of the treatments say the science is very unsettled in terms of long-term implications. —Nina Totenberg, NPR, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

unsettled

adjective

un·​set·​tled ˌən-ˈset-ᵊld 

ˈən-

1

: not settled : not fixed (as in position or nature)

unsettled weather

2

: not calm : disturbed

unsettled waters

3

: not decided in mind : undetermined

unsettled about what to do

4

: not paid

an unsettled account

5

: not lived in by settlers

an unsettled region