unheard
Americanadjective
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not heard; not perceived by the ear.
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not given a hearing or audience.
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Archaic. unheard-of.
adjective
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not heard; not perceived by the ear
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not listened to or granted a hearing
his warning went unheard
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archaic unheard-of
Etymology
Origin of unheard
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English unherd. See un- 1, heard ( 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.
Temperatures in the northern half of the continent rarely rose above 90 degrees Fahrenheit and temperatures over 100 were almost unheard of.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
Direct public criticism of Putin is virtually unheard of.
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
That kind of “insane” valuation, in Snyder’s view, used to be unheard of.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 25, 2026
With antenatal care, women repeatedly described feeling unheard, inadequately informed and unsupported when expressing anxiety, particularly in relation to reduced foetal movements or emerging medical complications.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
Each of these things had a different meaning to Palmer and yet the same—a language unlearned, of words unheard, that came to roost at some warm and waiting perch far below his ears.
From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli
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.
