Standard Lemma guide

unseal

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • ŭn-sēl'
  • /ʌnˈsiːl/
  • rhymes with -iːl
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N S IY1 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To break the seal of (something) in order to open it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To open by having a seal broken.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

break the seal of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He unsealed the letter

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: seal

Broader terms: open, open up

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English un- Proto-Indo-European *sek- Proto-Indo-European *-nóm Proto-Italic *seknom Latin signum Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lum Latin sigillum Anglo-Norman seelbor. Middle English sel English seal English unseal From un- + seal.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: разпечатвам (razpečatvam) — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • Catalan: dessegellar — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • French: décacheter — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • French: desceller — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • Galician: deselar — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • Ido: dessiglar — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • Portuguese: desselar — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • Russian: распеча́тывать (raspečátyvatʹ) — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • Russian: распеча́тать (raspečátatʹ) — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it
  • Spanish: desellar — to break the seal of (something) in order to open it