voiceless

American  

[vois-lis] / ˈvɔɪs lɪs /

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 (contrasted with voiced).

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

   2. uttered without phonation.

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voiceless British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• voicelessly adverb
• voicelessness noun

Etymology

Origin of voiceless

First recorded in 1525–35; voice + -less

Explanation

Someone who can't speak, either literally or figuratively, is voiceless. Your sore throat may leave you voiceless for a couple of days, and the youngest child in a family might feel voiceless when it comes to making to big family decisions. If you suffer from laryngitis, you're temporarily voiceless, unable to use your voice to speak. Someone who's mute, for a physical or psychological reason, is often permanently voiceless. It's also common to use this adjective for people so powerless that they're unable to express their needs or desires: "Women in that country have been voiceless for a long time, but that's finally beginning to change."

Example Sentences

I had more trouble with voiceless consonants than voiced ones—one of the sample sentences for this type of SD reduced my voice to a whisper on nearly every syllable.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

Those ached more than stung and left me completely voiceless for the following 24 hours.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

Through Spear’s resurrection, “Primal” is quietly delivering a zombie drama that’s strangely life-affirming, led by a tenderhearted brute who is sensitive to the other voiceless, helpless beings around him.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2025

I was determined to be someone who told the truth, using my voice to lift up the voiceless when I could, and to not disappear on people in need.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama