unseal

U1N1S1E1A1L1
/ʌnˈsiːl/

verb

To break the seal of (something) in order to open it.

Opposite
seal
OriginEnglish seal ← Middle English sel ← Anglo-Norman see →
RareScrabble 6
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Meanings

verbunseal (third-person singular simple present unseals, present participle unsealing, simple past and past participle unsealed)

present singular third person unseals · participle present unsealing · participle past unsealed · past unsealed

  1. transitiveTo break the seal of (something) in order to open it.

    And a new time capsule was created by high schools students from the society’s internship program. They selected items to be unsealed in 2114, including tickets to a Lady Gaga concert.

    2014 October 9, “Time capsule unearthed in New York: 'This is the thrill of recovering relics'”, in The Guardian, sourced from Associated Press, archived from the original on 16 Oct 2020
  2. intransitiveTo open by having a seal broken.

    But it's just the equalising of pressure as the vault door unseals.

    2017, Paul Crilley, Clockwork City: Delphic Division 2

Synonyms & antonyms

verbbreak the seal of

Opposite
seal
Broader
openopen up
Also see
deseallay bareopen

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Englishun-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sek-?
  3. Proto-Italic*segnom
  4. Latinsignum
  5. Latinsigillum
  6. Anglo-Normansee
  7. Middle Englishsel
  8. Englishseal
  9. Englishunseal

From un- + seal.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian разпечатвам
  • разпечатвам (razpečatvam)to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
Catalan dessegellar
  • dessegellarto break the seal of (something) in order to open it
French décacheter, desceller
  • décacheterto break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • descellerto break the seal of (something) in order to open it
Portuguese desselar
  • desselarto break the seal of (something) in order to open it
Russian распеча́тывать, распеча́тать
  • распеча́тывать (raspečátyvatʹ)to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • распеча́тать (raspečátatʹ)to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
Spanish desellar
  • desellarto break the seal of (something) in order to open it

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with unseal

realmobilefeeldealsteelappealwheelsealmealNeilrevealreelstealheelpeelhealnealsteelerepealtealsurrealcelalleleLille
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Lausen
Cite this entry
APA

unseal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unseal

MLA

“unseal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unseal. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unseal,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unseal.

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