voiceless
Americanadjective
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having no voice; mute.
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uttering no words; silent.
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having an unmusical voice.
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unspoken; unuttered.
voiceless sympathy.
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having no vote or right of choice.
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Phonetics. (of a speech sound)
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without voice; unvoiced; surd; aphonic (contrasted with voiced).
“p,” “f,” and “s” are voiceless.
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uttered without phonation.
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adjective
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without a voice; mute
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not articulated
voiceless misery
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lacking a musical voice
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silent
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without the power or right to express an opinion
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phonetics articulated without accompanying vibration of the vocal cords
in English (p) is a voiceless consonant
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of voiceless
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."
Vocabulary lists containing voiceless
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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.
Those ached more than stung and left me completely voiceless for the following 24 hours.
From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026
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
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
There was appreciation for his endeavour to become a voice for the voiceless and focus on the poor and those whose destinies were not in their own hands.
From BBC • May 9, 2025
I open my mouth to scream, but I am voiceless.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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.
