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• 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.

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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

See Examples For:

unheard-of unheard of

A group of six litigators left Wachtell earlier in the summer in an almost unheard-of move.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 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

He sometimes took the train to Manhattan with a different set of friends to shop for music and clothes—an unheard-of level of sophistication in our world.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

It’s unheard of, an abuse of power, and demoralizing to make senior leadership submit to testing en masse.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

While it is rare, it is not unheard of.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Property donations aren’t unheard of in settlement agreements, but Haage said this is the first she can remember in Malibu, where land is prized and residents consistently get fined for blocking public access.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 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

Slave catchers didn’t show their faces often, but it wasn’t unheard of.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

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