unseen

[ uhn-seen ]

/ ʌnˈsin /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unseen ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not seen; unperceived; unobserved; invisible.

recognized or comprehended without prior study, as a written text or musical score.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

unseduced, unseeded, unseeing, unseelie, unseemly, unseen, unsegregated, unselfconscious, unselfish, unsell, unsentimental

Origin of unseen

1150–1200; Middle English unsene, unsehene; see un-¹, seen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unseen

I walked home alone, in the dark, all the unseen voices of that evening still ringing in my ears.
Sex, Suicide, and Homework: The Secret World of the Telephone Hotline|Tim Teeman|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The presence of the chicken feet protects and preserves the unseen but nonetheless unbreakable bonds of love and family.
‘Gods of Suburbia’: Dina Goldstein’s Arresting Photo Series on Religion vs. Consumerism|Dina Goldstein|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She said that whenever she came into the room, she had felt the radiation of a vast and unseen force.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the play, Gallagher plays Jimmy, who has been friends with the unseen Sam for more than 25 years.
Into the Grindr of the Gay Dating Game: Sex, Death, and Aging in ‘Stealing Sam’|Tim Teeman|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Unseen and unknown, he lived in secret, creeping into homes in the dead of night and surviving on what he could steal.
The Daily Beast's Best Longreads, Aug 24, 2014|The Daily Beast|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The ever present Ellen, who had never herself given a thought to the unseen, brought Pelle face to face with infinity.
Pelle the Conqueror, Complete|Martin Anderson Nexo
But, all this while, his vanity was pleased and his curiosity roused by the continued correspondence of his unseen Egeria.
Ernest Maltravers, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Then the blackness fell once more; and a thin peal of midsummer thunder rolled over the unseen tree-tops.
The Watchers of the Trails|Charles G. D. Roberts
An unseen hand had just snatched away half of the cottage roof.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse|Vicente Blasco Ibanez
Make me sensitive to the unseen influences that bring thy messages.
Leaves of Life|Margaret Bird Steinmetz

British Dictionary definitions for unseen

unseen

/ (ʌnˈsiːn) /

adjective

not observed or perceived; invisible

(of passages of writing) not previously seen or prepared

noun

mainly British a passage, not previously seen, that is presented to students for translation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unseen

unseen

adj.

early 13c., from un- (1) "not" + seen. Cf. Old English ungesewen, Middle Dutch ongesien, Dutch ongezien, Old High German ungesëhan, German ungesehen, Old Norse usenn.

Idioms and Phrases with unseen

unseen

see sight unseen.