unstressed

American  

[uhn-strest] / ʌnˈstrɛst /

adjective

1. without stress or emphasis, as a syllable in a word.

2. not receiving or subjected to stress, wear, etc..

   the unstressed parts of a car body.

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unstressed British  

/ ʌnˈstrɛst /

adjective

1. carrying relatively little stress; unemphasized

2. 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)

3. prosody (of a syllable in verse) having no stress or accent

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Etymology

Origin of unstressed

First recorded in 1880–85; un- ¹ + stress + -ed ²

Example Sentences

The control group of unstressed mice did not show a change, providing proof of organ dysfunction in the heat-stressed mice.

From Science Daily • May 8, 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

In the same way variations that reduce the unstressed syllables of a word readily insinuate themselves into the articulatory habits of a people.

From Human Traits and their Social Significance by Edman, Irwin

Related Words

• dull
• feeble
• low
• poor
• quiet
• small
• thin