uncharged

uncharged — adjective

  • unchargedpositive
  • more unchargedcomparative
  • most unchargedsuperlative

1. describes a particle, object, or battery that has no electric charge built up in

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a particle, object, or battery that has no electric charge built up inside it, so it does not attract or push away other charged objects

Example

The physics teacher showed the class an uncharged balloon that stuck to nothing.

attributive: uncharged + noun (balloon)

An uncharged atom contains an equal number of protons and electrons.

pattern: be + uncharged in a definition

Common collocations
  • uncharged particle
  • uncharged atom
  • uncharged battery
  • uncharged sphere
  • uncharged object
  • uncharged conductor
  • uncharged capacitor
  • completely uncharged
  • still uncharged
  • initially uncharged
Synonyms
  • neutral

    scientific synonym — 'neutral atom' is preferred over 'uncharged atom' in textbooks, though the meaning is identical

  • uncharged-up

    rare and informal; sometimes used for batteries that have never been used

Antonyms
  • charged

    direct antonym in both the electric and battery senses

  • energized

    less common antonym, used specifically for batteries and circuits

Grammar Patterns

uncharged + noun

be + uncharged

Usage Note

Most common in physics and electronics contexts. Can describe particles (uncharged neutron), objects (uncharged metal sphere), or batteries (not yet given a charge). The adverb completely often appears before uncharged for emphasis.

Common Mistakes

I left the phone with an uncharged battery overnight.
I left the phone with a dead battery overnight.
uncharged describes something that has never been given a charge, whereas dead battery means it was charged but has lost its power.
The uncharged particle was neutral and carried equal positive and negative forces.
The uncharged particle was neutral and carried equal positive and negative charges.
uncharged already means 'no net charge'; adding 'neutral' is redundant with the definition.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Uncharged, neutral, discharged, and unpowered all describe a lack of electrical activity, but differ in scope and timing. Uncharged means something has never been given a charge or has no net charge — for example, an uncharged balloon does not attract paper. Neutral is a stricter scientific term for particles or atoms that have exactly balanced positive and negative charges, as in a neutral atom with equal protons and electrons. Discharged implies something that was once charged and then lost its charge, like a discharged phone battery. Unpowered means a device is not connected to any electrical source, even if its internal parts could hold a charge — an unpowered lamp is simply not plugged in. Use uncharged for a state that has never involved a charge; use discharged when the charge has been deliberately or naturally removed.

uncharged ↗neutral ↗discharged ↗unpowered ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • remain uncharged
  • leave something uncharged
  • keep something uncharged

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in the 19th century by adding the prefix un- (meaning 'not') to the past participle charged, which itself comes from the Old French chargier ('to load, burden'). In physics, charged gained the specific meaning 'carrying an electric charge' in the 1700s during early electrical experiments, and uncharged followed soon after to describe objects lacking that property.

First known use

1508

1508, in the meaning defined above