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

Mr Chebeya led the Congolese charity Voice of the Voiceless, and as a prominent critic of the government received regular death threats during his career of more than 20 years.

From BBC • May 12, 2022

Loved ones and members of the community, including Whitney Sich of nonprofit A Voice for the Voiceless, began their third day of searching on Thursday morning and said they will continue to do so.

From Fox News • Apr. 1, 2022

Voiceless versions of the What3words technology have been adopted in selected models by other carmakers, including Mercedes-Benz, Lotus, Tata Motors and Ford.

From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2022

He also praises her, with tongue only partly in cheek, as “Pioneer of Arts and Letters, Champion of the Voiceless and Redemptive Savior of the Western world.”

From New York Times • Oct. 17, 2018

But instead of finishing his sentence he elbowed Mrs. Herrington out of the way, shoved past her, and stepped forth in front of the Voiceless Speech.

From The Sturdy Oak A composite Novel of American Politics by fourteen American authors by Jordan, Elizabeth Garver