adjective
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carrying relatively little stress; unemphasized
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phonetics of, relating to, or denoting the weakest accent in a word or breath group, which in some languages, such as English or German, is also associated with a reduction in vowel quality to a centralized (i) or (a)
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prosody (of a syllable in verse) having no stress or accent
Etymology
Origin of unstressed
Explanation
An unstressed syllable is the part of the word that you don't emphasize or accent, like the to- in today, or the -day in Sunday. An unstressed person is someone for whom every day feels like Sunday. When you pronounce a word with multiple syllables, like avocado (to choose a random example), you put more pressure on some syllables than others — in this case, the ah and the cah. Consider those syllables stressed. If they were people, they'd be biting their nails and pulling out their hair while sitting at a desk piled with paperwork. The vo and the do, on the other hand, would be unstressed — lounging with their feet on the desk, doing crossword puzzles.
Vocabulary lists containing unstressed
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.
Bound together under unstressed conditions, Keap1 releases Nrf2 to do its antioxidant work when needed.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
Now imagine yourself in total control of your money, unstressed, thriving, deciding how you’ll spend your credit card cash-back rewards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2021
Pausing at the unstressed sound in the middle of word, she collected herself, started again, and nailed the second 'e', jumping for joy on stage when told she was correct.
From Reuters ● Jul. 9, 2021
Pick a time when you’re both calm and relatively unstressed, have eaten, had enough sleep, and have plenty of time to talk.
From Slate ● Feb. 16, 2021
This rhythm is obtained by mingling stressed and unstressed syllables.
From Irradiations; Sand and Spray by Fletcher, John Gould
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.
