Unearned means received without working for it or doing anything to deserve it. When something is unearned, you get it through luck, circumstance, or someone else's generosity rather than through your own effort or merit.

An unearned compliment is praise you didn't actually deserve. If your science partner does all the work on a project but you both get credit, your share of that credit is unearned. When a team wins because the other side made a terrible mistake rather than because they played well, they might feel the victory was somewhat unearned.

The word often carries a sense that something isn't quite right or fair. An unearned privilege is an advantage you have not because of anything you did, but because of circumstances beyond your control. In sports, an unearned run in baseball is a run that scored because of a defensive error, not because the batter hit well.

Sometimes receiving something unearned feels good in the moment but hollow later. Getting an A on a test you didn't study for might seem lucky at first, but you know you didn't really earn that grade. Many people find that earned achievements, even when they're harder to get, feel far more satisfying than unearned ones.