voiceless

[vois-lis]

adjective

1. having no voice; mute.

2. uttering no words; silent.

3. having an unmusical voice.

4. unspoken; unuttered.

   voiceless sympathy.

5. having no vote or right of choice.

6. Phonetics.,  (of a speech sound)

   1. without voice; unvoiced; surd; aphonic (voiced ).

      “p,” “f,” and “s” are voiceless.

   2. uttered without phonation.

voiceless

/ ˈvɔɪslɪs /

adjective

1. without a voice; mute

2. not articulated

   voiceless misery

3. lacking a musical voice

4. silent

5. without the power or right to express an opinion

6. phonetics articulated without accompanying vibration of the vocal cords

   in English (p) is a voiceless consonant

Other Word Forms

• voicelessly adverb
• voicelessness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of voiceless¹

First recorded in 1525–35; voice + -less

Example Sentences

SNP ministers say the law gives a voice to the voiceless, handing communities a greater say over their futures.

Read more on BBC

He smiled broadly and proceeded to give a voiceless answer.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“He speaks for the voiceless and tried his best to come up with answers to problems that seem unanswerable.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“It made me feel voiceless and less than human. I was regularly harassed by police.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Which makes it all the more important to have elected leaders like Chu willing to put themselves on the front lines to give a voice to the truly, really voiceless.

Read more on Los Angeles Times