unheard-of

American  

[uhn-hurd-uhv, -ov, -uhv] / ʌnˈhɜrdˌʌv, -ˌɒv, -əv /

adjective

1. that was never heard of; unknown.

   an unheard-of artist.

2. such as was never known before; unprecedented.

   an unheard-of salary.

3. shocking or outrageous.

   unheard-of conduct.

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unheard-of British  

adjective

1. previously unknown

   an unheard-of actress

2. without precedent

   an unheard-of treatment

3. highly offensive

   unheard-of behaviour

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unheard of Idioms  

1. Very unusual, extraordinary, as in It's unheard of to have all one's money refunded two years after the purchase. This expression alludes to a circumstance so unusual that it has never been heard of. [Late 1500s]

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Etymology

Origin of unheard-of

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

Those visions, as unheard-of divine communion with a woman, draw her into conflict with priests who find them false.

From Los Angeles Times

“Imagine that the tools of chemistry could be used to create entirely new materials with unheard-of properties,” Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal

His thesis at the Navy Academy was in the unheard-of topic of liquid-fuel engines.

From BBC

The New York Yankees emerged as the franchise most willing to pay players previously unheard-of salaries, inadvertently helping the efforts of Miller and Moss.

From Los Angeles Times

Fortunately, large-scale firestorms are almost unheard-of in the area, in part because the region’s narrow canyons and strong prevailing winds act to direct gusts — and therefore fires — in specific directions.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• exceptional
• inconceivable
• little-known
• unbelievable
• undiscovered
• unprecedented