disappeared

American  

[dis-uh-peerd] / ˌdɪs əˈpɪərd /

adjective

1. having vanished from sight or existence.

   Right this minute, the only thing I want to do is to find a way to recover my disappeared phone photos.

   The museum displays tools and artifacts from an almost disappeared culture, known only from one archaeological site.

2. (of a person) having vanished under suspicious or unknown circumstances.

   Family members of the disappeared persons were denied the right to any effective remedy, including the right to know the fate of their loved ones.

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noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. none the disappeared people, especially political opponents, who have vanished under suspicious or unknown circumstances, or without due process of law.

   The determination of the parents, grandparents, and—most recently—children of the disappeared is finally putting dictators, torturers, and their accomplices behind bars.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of disappear.

Etymology

Origin of disappeared

First recorded in 1400–50 as a verb: disappear ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ), and in 1640–50 as an adjective: disappear ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

An opinion column published by the Committee of Relatives of the Disappeared in Honduras argued that her relationship with the country had been marked by distrust.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

So far, the remains of 13 of the Disappeared have been recovered.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2024

Anne Morgan, whose brother Seamus Ruddy was one of The Disappeared and whose remains were recovered in 2017, also attended the walk.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2024

Four of the lilies represented each of the four remaining of The Disappeared, and one was for missing Lisa Dorrian.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2024

Disappeared into the woods and never came out?

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• absent
• adrift
• disoriented
• hidden
• invisible
• misplaced
• vanished