unvoiced

adjective

un·​voiced ˌən-ˈvȯist How to pronounce unvoiced (audio)
1
: not verbally expressed
unvoiced fears
2
: voiceless sense 2
unvoiced consonants

Examples of unvoiced in a Sentence

The “th” in the word “thing” is unvoiced. an unvoiced promise to be waiting for him when he returned from the war
Recent Examples on the Web To produce a biophonic call combination, an animal must make a voiced and unvoiced noise at the same time, reports the Telegraph’s Joe Pinkstone. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 June 2023 That battle grows even more difficult after Rhaenyra’s children are fathered by a man who isn’t her husband, an unvoiced scandal that Viserys refuses to acknowledge. Adam B. Vary, Variety, 25 May 2023 In order to put Patrick in the right mind-set, Nathan pulls an elaborate prank involving a rehearsal actor and his ostensible real life (which is actually staged); here, too, Patrick’s response to an apparent absurdity, let alone a deception, goes unvoiced. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 30 July 2022 There were even signs of a troubling advance into more delicate parts of the anatomy, which seemed to breach some unvoiced code between sickness and host: surely to go there was a step too far. Aaron Timms, The New York Review of Books, 29 Dec. 2022 That mood — of pain hanging in the air, of unvoiced despair — creates a kind of signifying art atmosphere of authenticity. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Sep. 2022 The event also reaffirms Antonio’s unvoiced yearning to reevaluate his uprooting — a need depicted throughout the film with magical realist underwater sequences that invoke an otherworldly atmosphere. Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2021 Her family’s return to the outside world and Texas was clouded by unvoiced shame and confusion. Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2021 These unvoiced consonant sounds are common in most of our species’ languages. Jan Osterkamp, Scientific American, 8 Mar. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unvoiced.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unvoiced was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near unvoiced

Cite this Entry

“Unvoiced.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unvoiced. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unvoiced

adjective
un·​voiced ˌən-ˈvȯist How to pronounce unvoiced (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not actually said : unspoken
an unvoiced agreement
2
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