Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

un|dreamed of /ʌ ndriː md ɒv, [AM ] - ʌv/ also undreamed-of in BRIT, also use undreamt-of ADJ If you describe something as undreamed of , you are emphasizing that it is much better, worse, or more unusual than you thought was possible. [EMPHASIS ] □  This new design will offer undreamed-of levels of comfort, safety and speed. □  They have freedoms that were undreamed-of even ten years ago.

un|dress /ʌ ndre s/ (undresses , undressing , undressed ) VERB When you undress or undress someone, you take off your clothes or someone else's clothes. □ [V ] She went out, leaving Rachel to undress and have her shower. □ [V n] She undressed the child before putting her in the tin bath.

un|dressed /ʌ ndre st/ ADJ If you are undressed , you are wearing no clothes or your night clothes. If you get undressed , you take off your clothes. □  Fifteen minutes later he was undressed and in bed. □  He got undressed in the bathroom.

un|due /ʌ ndjuː , [AM ] -duː / ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe something bad as undue , you mean that it is greater or more extreme than you think is reasonable or appropriate. □  This would help the families to survive the drought without undue suffering. □  It is unrealistic to put undue pressure on ourselves by saying we are the best.

un|du|late /ʌ ndʒʊle I t/ (undulates , undulating , undulated ) VERB Something that undulates has gentle curves or slopes, or moves gently and slowly up and down or from side to side in an attractive manner. [LITERARY ] □ [V ] As we travel south, the countryside begins to undulate. □ [V ] His body slowly undulated in time to the music. [Also V n] ●  un|du|lat|ing ADJ □  …gently undulating hills.

un|du|ly /ʌ ndjuː li, [AM ] -duː li/ ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] If you say that something does not happen or is not done unduly , you mean that it does not happen or is not done to an excessive or unnecessary extent. □  'But you're not unduly worried about doing this report?'—'No.' □  He appealed to firms not to increase their prices unduly.

un|dy|ing /ʌnda I I ŋ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you refer to someone's undying feelings, you mean that the feelings are very strong and are unlikely to change. [LITERARY ] □  Dianne declared her undying love for Sam. □  He had won her undying gratitude.

un|earned in|come /ʌ nɜː ^r nd I ŋkʌm/ N‑UNCOUNT Unearned income is money that people gain from interest or profit from property or investment, rather than money that they earn from a job. □  Reduction in the tax on unearned income could be a boost for small businesses.

un|earth /ʌ nɜː ^r θ/ (unearths , unearthing , unearthed )

1 VERB If someone unearths facts or evidence about something bad, they discover them with difficulty, usually because they were being kept secret or were being lied about. □ [V n] Researchers have unearthed documents linking her to the forced adoption of children.

2 VERB If someone unearths something that is buried, they find it by digging in the ground. □ [V n] Fossil hunters have unearthed the bones of an elephant believed to be 500,000 years old.

3 VERB If you say that someone has unearthed something, you mean that they have found it after it had been hidden or lost for some time. □ [V n] From somewhere, he had unearthed a black silk suit.

un|earth|ly /ʌnɜː ^r θli/

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use unearthly to describe something that seems very strange and unnatural. □  For a few seconds we watched the unearthly lights on the water. □  The sound was so serene that it seemed unearthly.