unseen

[uhn-seen]

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.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for unseen

Contemporary Examples

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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples

The faith that others give to what is unseen, I give to what one can touch, and look at.
De Profundis
Oscar Wilde
Though it faced directly toward them, the men knew that they were as yet unseen.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
There was a stir on the island, while we were in the water, but we all got ashore, safe and unseen.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
Then the day slipped over an unseen height, and fell into a sheltered calm.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
But the warning voice from that unseen bridge disconcerted her.
Pee-wee Harris
Percy Keese Fitzhugh

British Dictionary definitions for unseen

unseen

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

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.

unseen

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}unseen

Examples from the Web for unseen

Contemporary Examples

I walked home alone, in the dark, all the unseen voices of that evening still ringing in my ears.

The presence of the chicken feet protects and preserves the unseen but nonetheless unbreakable bonds of love and family.

She said that whenever she came into the room, she had felt the radiation of a vast and unseen force.

In the play, Gallagher plays Jimmy, who has been friends with the unseen Sam for more than 25 years.

Unseen and unknown, he lived in secret, creeping into homes in the dead of night and surviving on what he could steal.

Historical Examples

The faith that others give to what is unseen, I give to what one can touch, and look at.

Though it faced directly toward them, the men knew that they were as yet unseen.

There was a stir on the island, while we were in the water, but we all got ashore, safe and unseen.

Then the day slipped over an unseen height, and fell into a sheltered calm.

But the warning voice from that unseen bridge disconcerted her.

unseen

Word Origin and History for unseen

adj.

Idioms and Phrases with unseen

unseen

Origin of unseen