unsent
Americanadjective
verb
Etymology
Origin of unsent
First recorded in 1530–40; un- 1 ( def. ) + sent 1 ( def. ) for the adjective, un- 2 ( def. ) + sent 1 ( def. ) for the verb
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.
In a final, unsent letter, addressed to Maximilien Robespierre, she wrote, “speak; it is something to know one’s fate, and with a soul like mine, one is capable of envisaging it.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
A Freedom of Information request also found 200,000 medical letters had gone unsent due to widespread problems with NHS computer systems.
From BBC • May 29, 2024
Those on the receiving end see that a message was unsent and the edit history, the company said.
From Seattle Times • May 23, 2023
But now that Charles is king, Allen said that her letter would remain unsent.
From New York Times • Sep. 16, 2022
Or perhaps he was languishing in one of the black cells beneath the Red Keep, her letter still unsent.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.