Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Without conditions or limitations; absolute.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not conditional; absolute; unreserved; not limited by any conditions: as, an unconditional surrender.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Not conditional, limited, or conditioned; made without condition; absolute; unreserved.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective absolute, and without conditions, limitations, reservations or qualifications

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective not conditional
  • adjective not contingent; not determined or influenced by someone or something else
  • adjective not modified or restricted by reservations

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • From her I know what the term unconditional love means.

    Hidden Secrets, Hidden Lives J. Leon Pridgen II 2010

  • From her I know what the term unconditional love means.

    Hidden Secrets, Hidden Lives J. Leon Pridgen II 2010

  • Nor is the term unconditional love found, but these principles are stark realities of God's Word.

    Refreshment in Refuge 2010

  • Is this what we call unconditional love, or is this what we call total denial?

    CNN Transcript Apr 28, 2009 2009

  • And I'm not so sure with the president actually talking about the creation of a Palestinian state that some of those people would feel the same way as what you described as the unconditional support of Israel, but we can argue that on another morning.

    CNN Transcript Oct 8, 2001 2001

  • It is what you called unconditional and how an agricultural engineer should start working.

    Fidel Castro Speaks at FEU Congress 1995

  • Kim Jong Il, the North reiterated its proposal for what it termed unconditional negotiations with the South.

    latimes.com - News 2011

  • Here's the good news: When you bring what I call unconditional presence to the trance of fear, you create the foundation for true spiritual awakening.

    unknown title 2009

  • But as the word unconditional suggests, this isn’t a temporary state of mind that ends the moment we judge someone isn’t “worthy” of our respect.

    Egonomics David Marcum 2007

  • Where else does one become educated in unconditional love?

    The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 2009

Comments

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  • What parental love is supposed to be.

    November 4, 2007

  • I was taught, when very young, that no human love can be unconditional--only God's.

    Edit: I didn't mean this to come off as preachy, just a remark that I never thought parental love was supposed to be this...

    November 4, 2007

  • If you don't love something unconditionally, you probably don't love it. "I only love you if you do what I say?" What kind of love is that?

    We love you unconditionally, c_b. :)

    November 4, 2007

  • "I only love you if you do what I say?" What kind of love is that?

    Um, conditional love? (Scurries away)

    The only kind known by cats, where the condition invariably involves food. So one could also refer to it as cupboard love.

    November 4, 2007

  • Saul Bellow's Herzong calls unconditional love, or a form of it at least, potato love. Herzog is harshly critical of it, but he's also a total wreck, so he's not exactly a reliable witness.

    November 4, 2007

  • Skipvia, I think what they meant (those who taught us that human love cannot be unconditional) is that there's always *something* the object of love can do that would make a person stop loving him or her. Say you marry someone, and promise to love him/her for life. Now suppose that person turns out to be a rapist, murderer, child molester, or does something so terrible that you simply cannot love that person anymore. Well, your love wasn't unconditional, even though you didn't specifically enumerate any conditions on it at first. Or even more prosaically, suppose one simply "falls out of love" with someone else, after pledging his/ her undying, unconditional love? Well, I guess that love wasn't unconditional after all.

    Now, that's very different from saying "I love you only if you do what I say," or "... meet these conditions." I don't think that's the same thing at all (at least, that's not what I meant to say).

    The idea--again, I'm just the messenger here--is that divine love is the only kind that is truly unconditional.

    Secondly, it's not really right to assume that a person could love even a *thing* unconditionally. (Though I suspect you weren't really talking about inanimate objects in your comment but just using a familiar idiom.)

    And thirdly, I'm glad you love me unconditionally... :) though I suspect if I went off the deep end and turned into a complete asshat on Wordie that you'd soon stop making nice declarations like that, and therefore your love could be said to have been conditional.

    Anyway, I was just remarking what they taught us in Catholic school. :)

    Oh, and fourthly: I'm glad I'm not in Catholic school anymore.

    November 5, 2007

  • I guess I just don't buy the notion that humans are incapable of unconditional love, or that we have to save such notions for "the divine." If my children did something unspeakable, I'd still love them. I'm absolutely certain of this. They may deserve retribution for their actions, but the love I have for them is unconditional and nothing could change that.

    I think I'd better lighten this up. Here you go:

    GOD: Oh, don't grovel! One thing I can't stand, it's people groveling.

    ARTHUR: Sorry.

    GOD: And don't apologize. Every time I try to talk to someone it's 'sorry this' and 'forgive me that' and 'I'm not worthy'. What are you doing now?!

    ARTHUR: I'm averting my eyes, O Lord.

    GOD: Well, don't. It's like those miserable Psalms-- they're so depressing. Now, knock it off!

    My kind of theology...

    November 5, 2007

  • Nothing is unconditional. EVERYTHING is conditioned by the One-Who-Brung-Ya-To-The-Dance.

    Uh, unless you engineered your own birth, of course. (And there are certainly plenty of those whose 'conditions' convince them 'tis so.)

    Case closed.

    Lighter note: Jes' kiddin'.

    ...or M I?

    November 5, 2007

  • XBox and Lionhead Studios throw new shade on the matter:

    "A hero’s best friend. This ground-breaking addition to the game is integral to the theme of unconditional love in Fable II. The canine companion will act as friend, compass and protector. Players must merely feed their pooch and he will love unconditionally, creating a bond that sets up emotion-filled journeys all throughout this magical world."

    December 29, 2008