: 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
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
Marla Vacek BroadfootSynonyms
Examples of unpaired in a Sentence
Adjective
found an unpaired shoe in the back of the closet
Recent Examples on the Web
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
See all Example Sentences for unpaired 
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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
See all Example Sentences for unpaired
Dictionary Entries Near unpaired
Cite this Entry
“Unpaired.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpaired. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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