Jump To:

• unheard-of
  unheard-of

  adjective

  that was never heard of; unknown.
• 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]

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.

---

unheard-of British  

adjective

1. previously unknown

   an unheard-of actress

2. without precedent

   an unheard-of treatment

3. highly offensive

   unheard-of behaviour

---

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]

---

Etymology

Origin of unheard-of

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unheard-of unheard of

Stephen Miran, the April vote was 8-4, an almost unheard-of level of disagreement on the consensus-driven FOMC.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

On Wednesday, Five Below reported nearly 23% same-store sales growth, an unheard-of number for a retailer that is now 23 years old.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

"That's an unheard-of pace of innovation in developing complex structural alloys."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026

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

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2025

At Thurmond, that was an almost unheard-of luxury.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

As this is basically unheard of, the anecdote plays great on a press tour.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

They began to employ just-in-time principles, commonplace in big corporations, but unheard of in the fragmented, still old-school car repair industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Seeing such a slithery tourist this far north is rare but not unheard of.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Schroden said he had seen "reports of similar events occasionally over the past couple of decades" and that "it's rare but not unheard of, though tragic in every case."

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Optoomuchism was a rare occurrence in the Babushkinov household; in Plinkst it was nearly unheard of.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

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