When something is unmoved, it stays in the same physical place, like a boulder that remains unmoved even when floodwaters rush past it. A chess piece sits unmoved on the board until a player decides to move it.

More often, though, unmoved describes someone who doesn't react emotionally to something that might be expected to affect them. When a student remains unmoved by a sad story that makes everyone else cry, their emotions stay unchanged. A judge might stay unmoved by a defendant's excuses, maintaining firm resolve despite attempts at persuasion.

Being unmoved can show strength of character. A leader might remain unmoved by criticism when she knows she's doing the right thing, or an athlete might stay unmoved by trash talk from opponents, keeping calm focus instead of getting rattled. But remaining unmoved can also suggest coldness: someone unmoved by another person's genuine suffering might lack compassion.

The word often appears in phrases like “unmoved by their pleas” or “remained unmoved despite the applause.” Notice how it captures both the physical idea of not moving and the emotional sense of not being moved or affected by something. When you stand unmoved, you're like that boulder in the stream, solid and unshaken no matter what flows around you.