wordless

[ wurd-lis ]

adjective

1. speechless, silent, or mute.
2. not put into words; unexpressed.

ˈwordless

/ ˈwɜːdlɪs /

adjective

1. inarticulate or silent
2. music of or relating to vocal music that is not provided with an articulated text

   a wordless chorus

Derived Forms

• ˈwordlessness, noun
• ˈwordlessly, adverb

Other Words From

• wordless·ly adverb
• wordless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wordless¹

Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; word, -less

Example Sentences

After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness.

From Washington Blade

In the movie’s gorgeously shot, wordless opening, a teenage girl escorts her little brother to school by pulling him along on a rough wooden board fitted with wheels.

From Time

His Underground Railroad lingers on individual images, incorporating wordless, lyrical passages that reveal characters’ interior landscapes.

From Time

The law firm claimed that the user posted the wordless one-star review to their Google My Business listing with the intent to cause damage to their reputation or profession and to dissuade potential clients from doing business with them.

From Search Engine Land

“We conclude that, as a matter of law, a one-star wordless review posted on Google Review is an expression of opinion protected by the First Amendment,” the Michigan court stated.

From Search Engine Land

The image is so familiar as to leave an art reviewer wordless.

From The Daily Beast

This creative experiment in virtually wordless filmmaking, which we ended up calling Day One, freed us in so many ways.

From The Daily Beast

The Caldecott-honored Red Book by Barbara Lehman has been described as “a wordless mind trip for tots.”

From The Daily Beast

Behind the commonplace sentences, the hidden wordless Play also drew on towards its Curtain.

From Project Gutenberg

The verbose Marmot, wordless; the listless Slaughter, dominant.

From Project Gutenberg

Hitherto they had been voiceless, wordless, needing all their breath for their hard-labouring efforts to break down the gates.

From Project Gutenberg

The ice around Xenie's frozen heart melted at that wordless prayer.

From Project Gutenberg

He was, said Larry, grim and he rarely spoke; but a close, wordless friendship had developed between them.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• hidden
• implicit
• indirect
• latent
• lurking
• tacit
• unspoken