unexplored
Britishadjective
Explanation
Anything that's unexplored hasn't been discovered or investigated. The vast majority of the ocean is still unexplored. Unexplored is formed by adding the prefix un-, or "not, " to explored, which has a Latin root that means "investigate or search out." You can describe literal uncharted territory this way, like the parts of Antarctica that are so cold that humans haven't yet ventured there. It's also a good word for anything that hasn't been experienced or looked into: "I've brought my lunch every day, so the cafeteria food remains totally unexplored!"
Vocabulary lists containing unexplored
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.
There are still options unexplored in the search for a way to shock England back to form.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026
The country’s large rare-metals deposits are still largely unexplored due to a lack of capital and expertise.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026
These frozen environments may contain vast stores of genetic material that have gone largely unexplored.
From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2026
Surveying and mining under such a thick ice sheet is impossible, according to experts, leaving large areas of the territory unexplored.
From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026
Something occurred inside of him then, something mysterious and definitive that uprooted him from his own time and carried him adrift through an unexplored region of his memory.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
