unrequited
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In short
Unrequited describes a feeling or act that is not returned in kind. It is used especially of love when one person's romantic feelings are not shared by the other.
What does unrequited mean?
What does unrequited love mean?
It means that one person’s love is not returned by the other person. The focus is the lack of corresponding feelings.
A relationship that ends is not automatically an example of unrequited love. Nor does the word simply mean that two people cannot be together.
Is unrequited love the same as secret love?
No. Someone can keep their feelings secret, or make them known, and still experience unrequited love. Secret describes whether the feelings are disclosed; unrequited describes whether they are returned.
Can unrequited describe more than love?
Its underlying meaning is broader: something has not been returned or repaid in kind. Love is an especially familiar context.
The positive form, requited, describes something that receives a corresponding return. Unrequited can sound formal or literary, though it can also be used humorously.
Where does it come from?
Unrequited combines un-, meaning not, with the past participle of requite, a verb meaning to repay or give something in return. The idea is an absence of a corresponding return, not simply an absence of an opportunity to speak.
How to use it in a sentence
“The novel follows a musician's unrequited love for a childhood friend.”
“Her feelings were unrequited, even though he knew exactly how she felt.”
Sources and updates
- unrequited, Cambridge Dictionary. Checked November 1, 2026.
- Unrequited Definition & Meaning, Merriam-Webster. Checked November 1, 2026.
- Unrequited - Etymology, Origin & Meaning, Online Etymology Dictionary. Checked November 1, 2026.
Definitions and examples are written in our own words from the sources above. Published .