unacknowledged

British  

/ ˌʌnəkˈnɒlɪdʒd /

adjective

1. not having been acknowledged or recognized

   unacknowledged legislators of the world

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Explanation

If something's unacknowledged, it hasn't been recognized or made public, like your unacknowledged fear of the dark — it exists, but you've never admitted or even spoken about it. Unacknowledged things have been ignored or disregarded. And it's the same when a person is unacknowledged: she deserves to be recognized for some accomplishment or quality, but she hasn't been praised for it. A brilliant artist who isn't able to sell many paintings might be an unacknowledged genius, for example. This word comes from acknowledge, a combination of the Middle English aknow, "show one's knowledge," and knowlechen, "admit."

Related Words

• classified
• confidential
• covert
• furtive
• hush-hush
• restricted
• secretive
• surreptitious