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

At the same time, concerns that gnawed at investors before the beginning of the war haven’t disappeared, either.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Yet the intellectual impulse behind it has not disappeared.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

Human remains that were found — twice— on Bay Area beaches have been identified as those of a California banker who disappeared in 1999.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The shipment, weighing around 12 tonnes, disappeared last week while heading between production and distribution locations, it said.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

He whined a couple of times, moved back and forth as if he might be going to drag the team over the edge, then disappeared from view.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

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