unproven

unproven — adjective

1. An unproven person, product, or method has not yet shown that they are good enou

1.形容詞B2
釋義

An unproven person, product, or method has not yet shown that they are good enough, skilled enough, or effective enough to be trusted with an important task or role.

例句

The hospital decided to test the unproven drug on a small group of volunteers.

attributive before noun: unproven drug

Lakan was an unproven engineer, but the team trusted his bold design.

predicative: was unproven

同義詞
  • untested

    more neutral; implies simply that no test has happened, not necessarily doubt

  • unestablished

    more formal; suggests a lack of track record

  • novice

    only for a person, not a product or method

反義詞

文法句型

unproven + noun

be + unproven

用法筆記

Common in business, technology, and medical contexts to describe a person, product, or approach whose capability is still uncertain. Frequently appears before nouns like 'technology', 'method', 'treatment', or 'candidate'.

常見錯誤

❌The unproven idea was that the Earth is round.
✅The unproven drug has not yet passed clinical trials.
💡A 'theory' being unproven belongs to sense 2 (truth/facts); sense 1 is about ability or effectiveness.

2. When a statement, belief, or claim is unproven, its truth has not yet been confi

2.形容詞B2
釋義

When a statement, belief, or claim is unproven, its truth has not yet been confirmed by reliable evidence or facts.

例句

The newspaper refused to print the unproven allegations against the senator.

attributive: unproven allegations

Yara's theory about the ancient temple was fascinating but remained scientifically unproven.

predicative with 'remained': remained unproven

同義詞
  • unsubstantiated

    stronger implication that no supporting evidence exists

  • unverified

    implies a check has not yet been carried out, but might happen

  • uncorroborated

    used especially for testimony not supported by other sources

反義詞

文法句型

unproven + noun

remain + unproven

dismiss + noun + as unproven

用法筆記

Frequent in legal, scientific, and journalistic writing. Often used with nouns like 'allegation', 'claim', 'theory', 'accusation', or 'assertion'. In court, 'unproven' means the evidence presented did not meet the required standard.

常見錯誤

❌His unproven skills made him a risky hire.
✅His unproven claims about the product were dismissed.
💡Use sense 1 for skills and ability; sense 2 is for statements and claims about truth.