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
Routine testing includes payroll, expense vouching, cash procedures, search for unrecorded liabilities, accounts receivable, acquisitions of new buildings and equipment, and the cost of goods sold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Experts point out that the widespread use of traditional healers for snakebites means that the true scale of the problem is not known, as many deaths will go unrecorded.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2026
The questions and answers from Maggie Fox’s first séance for Dr. Kane went unrecorded.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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