undiscovered
Britishadjective
Explanation
Undiscovered things haven't been found yet. You might dream of becoming an explorer and mapping undicovered lands — or you might hope to be a scientist who finds previously undiscovered cures for disease. Use this adjective for things that have remained unknown or not discovered for a long period of time. Some of these will be undiscovered only to you, like the undiscovered secret garden in your city or a pile of undiscovered postcards your grandparents sent each other. Undiscovered comes from the prefix un-, or "not," and discover, "reveal, uncover, or disclose."
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.
A document was filed by Mercury with the Department of Justice in 2020 that described Zimbabwe's potential for undiscovered rare earth elements.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
According to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, Norway's undiscovered resources are estimated at 3.48 billion cubic meters of equivalent oil and gas, 60 percent of which are believed to be in the Barents Sea.
From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026
A Japanese archaeological crew amid ruins and scaffolding is eager to meet undiscovered victims of Pompeii’s devastation.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
The development of modernity, then, consists in increasingly detailed maps of the undiscovered continent that Machiavelli perceived only in part.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
As for the São José, for almost two hundred years the sunken ship lay undiscovered in deep water only sixty yards from shore.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
