This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
unheard-of
[ uhn-hurd-uhv, -ov, -uhv ]
/ ʌnˈhɜrdˌʌv, -ˌɒv, -əv /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
that was never heard of; unknown: an unheard-of artist.
such as was never known before; unprecedented: an unheard-of salary.
shocking or outrageous: unheard-of conduct.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of unheard-of
First recorded in 1585–95
Words nearby unheard-of
UNHCR, unhealed, unhealthful, unhealthy, unheard, unheard-of, unheated, unheeded, unhelm, unhelpful, unheralded
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use unheard-of in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for unheard-of
unheard-of
adjective
previously unknownan unheard-of actress
without precedentan unheard-of treatment
highly offensiveunheard-of behaviour
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with unheard-of
unheard of
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.