unheard

U1N1H4E1A1R1D2
/ʌnˈhɜː(ɹ)d/

adjective

Not heard.

“Her cries for help remained unheard.”

Similar
inaudibleunhearable
OriginMiddle English unherd ← Old English unġehīered →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Word of the Day · Feb 13, 2026

Meanings

unheard1

adjectiveunheard (not comparable)
  1. not comparableNot heard.

    Her cries for help remained unheard.

    1 more example

    When night had fallen, the she-demon stole forth toward the hall, which she entered unheard and unseen.

    1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 33
  2. not comparableNot listened to.

    c. 1693?, John Dryden, Amaryllis What pangs I feel, unpitied and unheard!

    1 more example

    There are no "bad" emotions; rather, there are only heard emotions and unheard emotions.

  3. not comparableNot known to fame; not illustrious or celebrated; obscure.

    Nor was his name unheard or unadored.

    1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

unheard2

verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of unhear

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivenot necessarily inaudible but not heard

Similar
inaudibleunhearable

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

unheard · adjective

  1. Old Englishunġehīered“unheard”
  2. Middle Englishunherd
  3. Englishunheard

From Middle English unherd, unherde, from Old English unġehīered (“unheard”), equivalent to un- + heard. Cognate with West Frisian ûnheard (“unheard”), Dutch ongehoord (“unheard”), German ungehört (“unheard”).

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

unheard · verb

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian нечут
  • нечут (nečut)not heard
Danish uhørt, uhørt
  • uhørtnot heard
  • uhørtnot listened to
French non écouté, non entendu
  • non écouténot heard
  • non entendunot heard
  • inouïnot heard
Hindi अनसुना
  • अनसुना (ansunā)not heard
Norwegian Bokmål uhørt, uhørt
  • uhørtnot heard
  • uhørtnot listened to
Portuguese inaudito
  • inauditonot heard
Russian неслы́шный, неслы́шимый
  • неслы́шный (neslýšnyj)not heard
  • неслы́шимый (neslýšimyj)not heard
  • неуслы́шанный (neuslýšannyj)not heard
  • неуслы́шанный (neuslýšannyj)not listened to
  • невы́слушанный (nevýslušannyj)not listened to
Spanish inaudito
  • inauditonot heard

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with unheard

wordthirdheardkeywordbirdpreferredinsuredassuredabsurdinferredblurrederredspurredcurdKurdgirdfurredferdsurdBay de VerdebegirdbirdsiteblerdCape Verde
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

unheard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unheard

MLA

“unheard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unheard. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unheard,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unheard.

Source: unheard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.