What does unpowered mean?
Unpowered is an adjective meaning that something has no supplied energy with which to operate. It commonly describes equipment disconnected from electricity, as well as vehicles or craft deliberately designed to move without an engine, such as a glider. During an outage, saying that a system is unpowered identifies the absence of power without necessarily claiming that the equipment itself is faulty. The word can also suggest that a device is switched off or inactive, though it focuses more directly on the lack of a power supply than on general inactivity. Unpowered should not be confused with powerless: the former normally concerns energy, propulsion, or machinery, whereas the latter usually concerns a lack of authority, strength, or influence over people or events. The term is common in technical, engineering, transport, and everyday descriptions of outages, disabled systems, and manually or gravity-assisted movement. Its usefulness lies in this precise focus: it identifies the physical condition of an object without making broader claims about its usefulness or capability.
adjectiveNot supplied with or using the electricity, fuel, or other energy needed to operate or propel something.
- Not connected to or using an external source of power, or lacking the energy required to operate or propel something.
"The glider began an unpowered descent toward the runway."
"The building's backup systems remained unpowered during the electrical outage."
"The glider began an unpowered descent toward the runway."
An unpowered glider can fly; a powerless person cannot change the situation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unpowered come from?
English unpowered is a compound formed from the negative prefix un- and the past participle powered. The prefix continues Old English un-, meaning “not,” while power entered Middle English from Old French forms meaning “power” or “ability,” ultimately associated with Latin potestas (“power”) and potens (“able”). Related words such as powerful, powerless, empower, and empowerment continue the same inherited root, although they do not all carry the simple negative meaning expressed by un-.
How unpowered is actually used
Primarily an adjective, frequently used attributively. The term is neutral and factual, but context is needed to distinguish a deliberately non-powered design from equipment that has lost its power supply.
Easily confused with unpowered
Unpowered normally describes something lacking a source of energy or propulsion, whereas powerless usually describes a person or group lacking authority, strength, or influence.