1. not gained through work, effort, or merit
2. received as income from investments or property rather than from work
Usage: economics; finance

Examples

• She felt guilty about her unearned privilege.
• The criticism seemed unearned given his hard work.
• Unearned income includes dividends and rental payments.
• His unearned reputation preceded him.
• The wealthy family lived off unearned income from their investments.
• The praise felt unearned since she hadn’t contributed much to the project.
• Unearned revenue must be reported differently on tax forms.