unbidden
adjective
un·bid·den ˌən-ˈbi-dᵊn 
variants or less commonly unbid
ˌən-ˈbid
: not bidden : unasked, uninvited
barged in unbidden
Synonyms
- unasked
- uninvited
- unsolicited
- unsought
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
thoughts that come to the mind unbidden she arrived, unbidden, to help out at the Red Cross center
Recent Examples on the Web My mind went searching unbidden into deep recesses of memory where countless displays of Native American ethnography, seen over years, are stored. 
Murray Whyte, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2022 Her thoughts drifted, unbidden, toward weighty questions about the relationship between her traumatic brain injury and her sense of self. Mike Mariani, Wired, 16 Aug. 2022 For the average shopper, this opacity can magnify the sense that a particular style has become inescapable overnight, largely unbidden. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 23 June 2022 The package arrived, unbidden, two days into New York City’s lockdown in March 2020. New York Times, 25 May 2022 The voices of others jostle for our attention—a father’s criticism, a colleague’s snide comment, an unbidden conversation that unfolds on its own. T. M. Luhrmann, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2022 All those monthly users interacting with all the ads that choke Facebook’s timeline and clutter its margins and blunder unbidden into every available space generate a lot of money for the company. David Roth, The New Republic, 22 Dec. 2021 The Giants’ special teams unit would probably have trotted onto the field unbidden in such situations. Mike Tanier, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2021 The two experiences combined, unbidden, into a vertiginous sensation of time travel. Washington Post, 8 July 2021 See More
Murray Whyte, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2022 Her thoughts drifted, unbidden, toward weighty questions about the relationship between her traumatic brain injury and her sense of self. Mike Mariani, Wired, 16 Aug. 2022 For the average shopper, this opacity can magnify the sense that a particular style has become inescapable overnight, largely unbidden. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 23 June 2022 The package arrived, unbidden, two days into New York City’s lockdown in March 2020. New York Times, 25 May 2022 The voices of others jostle for our attention—a father’s criticism, a colleague’s snide comment, an unbidden conversation that unfolds on its own. T. M. Luhrmann, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2022 All those monthly users interacting with all the ads that choke Facebook’s timeline and clutter its margins and blunder unbidden into every available space generate a lot of money for the company. David Roth, The New Republic, 22 Dec. 2021 The Giants’ special teams unit would probably have trotted onto the field unbidden in such situations. Mike Tanier, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2021 The two experiences combined, unbidden, into a vertiginous sensation of time travel. Washington Post, 8 July 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English unbiden, unbeden, from Old English unbeden, from un- + beden, past participle of biddan to entreat — more at bid entry 1
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
unbidden
adjective
variants also unbid
as in uninvited
not searched or asked for she arrived, unbidden, to help out at the Red Cross center Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- uninvited
- unasked
- unsought
- unwanted
- unsolicited
- unacceptable
- unnecessary
- unwelcome
- undesired
- undesirable
- objectionable
- offensive
- uncalled-for
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- requested
- necessary
- solicited
- welcome
- needed
- required
- desired
- wanted