unseen
Americanadjective
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not seen; unperceived; unobserved; invisible.
-
recognized or comprehended without prior study, as a written text or musical score.
adjective
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not observed or perceived; invisible
-
(of passages of writing) not previously seen or prepared
noun
Etymology
Origin of unseen
Explanation
Unseen things are either not noticed or hidden from view, like the unseen subway conductor whose muffled voice you hear making announcements about train delays. If your goal is to be unseen as you sneak in late to your cousin's wedding, you're hoping that no one observes you. Other things are unseen simply because it's not possible to see them: "She was aware of the ghost as a chilly presence in the room, although it remained unseen." The adjective unseen is formed by adding the prefix un-, "not," to seen.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To mark the 40th anniversary of her disappearance, the Lamplugh family has released previously unseen photographs featuring her siblings Lizzie, Tamsin and Richard and her parents Paul and Diana.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Most house hunters wouldn’t dare buy a home sight unseen, but at auctions bidders are rarely given a peek inside beforehand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Instead of Gods like Poseidon and Zeus playing an integral role in the story, they are left as unseen forces that motivate the characters’ actions.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
At one point, they came upon previously unseen photographs from Saar’s early career as a costume mistress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
So you’ll go looking for the unseen things, since you’re the hunter and all that.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
