unspoken
Americanadjective
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implied or understood without being spoken or uttered.
-
not addressed (usually followed byto ).
-
not talking; silent.
adjective
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understood without needing to be spoken; tacit
-
not uttered aloud
Etymology
Origin of unspoken
First recorded in 1325–75, unspoken is from the Middle English word unspokyn. See un- 1, spoken
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.
It’s a kind of like an unspoken language you guys probably have in terms of comedy, which is super important, I imagine, just for collaborating.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Ferguson says there was an unspoken feeling among the Scotland players that something was going to happen.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
"It's also a film about the transmission of generational trauma across three generations in a family, and how taboos, unspoken things and secrets travel."
From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026
But Takaichi has declined to retract her remarks, saying she was only stating longstanding, if largely unspoken, Japanese policy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026
Kainene was looking at her woodenly, as if she had broken their unspoken rule and tried to start idle chatter.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
