Unprepared Meaning
/ˌʌnpriˈpɛrd/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjNot prepared; caught by surprise.
nounA black mark given to a pupil who arrives at a lesson without the necessary items or preparation.
Sentence Examples
I'm unprepared for this.
I was totally unprepared for this.
Tom told Mary that he thought John was unprepared.
CEFR Practice Quiz
They forgot to study, so they were completely ____ for the difficult exam.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt completely ____ for the exam, as he had not spent enough time reviewing the many difficult topics today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English prepared English unprepared From un- + prepared.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“It'll be all right,” I assured her. “Make a rule for yourself not to speak to anyone, and nobody's going to guess you can see. It was only being quite unprepared that landed you in that mess before. ‘In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king’.”"
— 1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954:
"I was unprepared for the change in attire and started slightly when the alectryomancer reappeared."
— 1985, Cathleen Jordan, Alfred Hitchcock's no harm undone, page 113:
""He's got another rule: Whenever he gets three unprepareds in a row, he leaves the classroom.""
— 1983, Ronald B. Lansing, Skylarks and lecterns: a law school charter, page 116:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
They forgot to study, so they were completely ____ for the difficult exam.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt completely ____ for the exam, as he had not spent enough time reviewing the many difficult topics today.