unsaid

¹ American  

[uhn-sed] / ʌnˈsɛd /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of unsay.

---

unsaid ² American  

[uhn-sed] / ʌnˈsɛd /

adjective

1. not said; thought but not mentioned or discussed; unstated.

   It was best left unsaid.

---

unsaid British  

/ ʌnˈsɛd /

adjective

1. not said or expressed; unspoken

---

Etymology

Origin of unsaid

before 1000; Middle English unsa ( i ) d, Old English unsǣd; see un- ¹, said ¹

Explanation

If something hasn't been spoken out loud, it's unsaid. Even when something is unsaid, its meaning is sometimes understood anyway. It's more common to use the adjective unspoken when you're talking about something that's implied indirectly but not articulated in words, but you can use unsaid this way too. In print, you're most likely to see it in its role as the past tense of unsay: "Once you've said something mean, it can't be unsaid."

Example Sentences

Unsaid but implied is that Theo somehow makes it cool.

From Salon • Jul. 23, 2025

Fittingly, her memoir was titled Nothing Left Unsaid.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2024

Unsaid but perhaps implied: Virginia’s ambitious governor may think he can complete that agenda before the next president is inaugurated in January 2025, a year before his term runs out.

From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2022

Unsaid but manifest is how unequal that separate life always was, and how fleeting and fragile the happiness it brought.

From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2021

Unsaid behind that brief exchange was the one thing they never spoke of: the shortness of their lives compared with those of humans.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman