adjective
Etymology
Origin of unrecorded
Explanation
If you neglect to write something down, photograph it, or otherwise document that it happened, it's unrecorded. Many unrecorded events in history are passed on through oral storytelling. When an event is recorded, it's filmed, described in writing, or somehow documented so that it can be referred to later. Anything unrecorded hasn't been captured in a permanent form. If your cousin's violin recital is unrecorded, that means no one took a video. The stories of people who hold little power in society have often gone unrecorded, so they're frequently left out of history books. The Latin root of unrecorded is recordari, "remember."
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.
But beyond that song, Parton said in a 2019 interview for WNYC's "Dolly Parton's America" podcast that she had written "hundreds, even thousands of songs" -- many of them unrecorded.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
A recent report from the California Access to Justice Commission estimated more than a million hearings went unrecorded in a single year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The true death toll is probably higher; given that there are so many chimps in a large area, some deaths go unrecorded, according to the study.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
It’s only going to become a more frequent dilemma as streamers, surveillance cameras, and wearable glasses leave fewer moments of reality unrecorded.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2025
In 1936 he established a private fund for Ernest to spend on unscheduled and unrecorded needs of the Rad Lab, including travel and equipment.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
