untouched
Americanadjective
-
not touched or handled, as material.
-
not explored or visited.
untouched lands.
-
not eaten or drunk.
-
remaining in a pristine state; unchanged.
an untouched innocent; an untouched world.
-
not injured or hurt; undamaged.
untouched by the exploding bombs.
-
not affected or altered.
She was untouched by the life around her.
-
emotionally unmoved; indifferent.
She was left untouched by the music.
-
not mentioned or described, as in conversation or a book.
an untouched subject.
adjective
-
not used, handled, touched, etc
-
not injured or harmed
-
(postpositive) emotionally unmoved
-
not changed, modified, or affected
-
(of food or drink) left without being consumed
-
not mentioned or referred to
he left the subject untouched
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of untouched
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at un- 1, touch, -ed 2
Explanation
Something untouched has literally not been touched (like the untouched spinach on your plate), or has not been emotionally moved (like the hardened criminal who remains untouched throughout his victim's testimony). If you're not moved to some emotion, you're untouched, and if your dog doesn't eat his dinner, you'll see an untouched bowl of kibble still sitting there in the morning. You might find it hard to remain untouched by the fresh, white, untouched snow. This adjective comes from touched, which can mean "emotionally moved" or "physically affected." Add the "not" prefix un-, and you get untouched.
Vocabulary lists containing untouched
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.
The most unusual wine I tasted this year was a bubbly from Slovenia called Untouched by Light.
From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2020
Untouched however, are breeding operations for traditional Chinese medicine, fur and leather, lucrative markets known to drive illegal poaching of animals including tigers and pangolins.
From The Guardian • Feb. 24, 2020
Untouched babies in orphanages manifest behavioral problems, Keltner writes.
From Washington Times • Dec. 7, 2019
It was later picked up by P3 Untouched, Norway's equivalent of BBC Introducing, and her subsequent singles Two Fish and Know You Forever, were playlisted on national radio.
From BBC • May 27, 2017
“Draw from the outside in. Untouched forest first. Then capture the scarred terrain.”
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
