sight unseen

Idioms  

1. Without having viewed the object in question, as in He bought the horse sight unseen. This seeming oxymoron—how can a sight, which means something seen, be not seen?—dates from the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sight unseen

With fond memories of living in the condo complex in his 20s, the 43-year-old public employee decided to buy a two-bedroom unit, sight unseen, for $260,000 in July 2024.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 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

Jayla never thought she’d buy a house pretty much sight unseen, much less one off the coast of Italy.

From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2026

Netflix's hit reality dating show is based on the premise that its participants can build lasting relationships and marriages by getting to know another person "sight unseen" – just by talking to them.

From Salon ● Dec. 12, 2024

So I fall back on the support networks of my real-life social class, call the dermatologist I know in Key West, and bludgeon him into prescribing something sight unseen.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

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