disappeared

American

[dis-uh-peerd] / ˌdɪs əˈpɪərd /

adjective

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.
(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.

noun

(used with a plural verb)

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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

disappeared

While some populations declined or disappeared from affected areas, others continued to grow despite the destruction.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

I don’t remember exactly when the pagers mostly disappeared.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

Audiences learned in the 2024 series, “Agatha All Along,” that although Billy and Tommy’s physical forms disappeared when Wanda undid her hex at the end of “WandaVision,” their souls remained.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026