Standard Lemma guide

unspoken

adj · verb · 5 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.

  • /ʌnˈspoʊkən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N S P OW1 K AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not spoken; not said.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, postpositional, sometimes

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not formally articulated or stated; implicit or understood.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, postpositional, sometimes

Examples

  • The unspoken rule is to start a new pot of coffee when it is empty.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

past participle of unspeak

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

expressed without speech- Emily Dickinson- Thomas Wolfe

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a mute appeal
  • a silent curse
  • best grief is tongueless
  • the words stopped at her lips unsounded
  • unspoken grief
  • choking exasperation and wordless shame

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mute, tongueless, wordless

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

not made explicit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the unexpressed terms of the agreement
  • things left unsaid
  • some kind of unspoken agreement
  • his action is clear but his reason remains unstated

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unexpressed, unsaid, unstated, unuttered, unverbalized, unverbalised, unvoiced

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English spoken English unspoken From un- + spoken.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: неизказан (neizkazan) — not spoken; not said
  • Czech: nevyřčený — not spoken; not said
  • Danish: usagt — not spoken; not said
  • Finnish: sanomaton — not spoken; not said
  • French: non-dit — not spoken; not said
  • German: ungesagt — not spoken; not said
  • Ancient Greek: ἄρρητος (árrhētos) — not spoken; not said
  • Hindi: अनकहा (ankahā) — not spoken; not said
  • Japanese: 無言の (mugon no) — not spoken; not said
  • Japanese: 暗黙の (ammoku no) — not spoken; not said
  • Latin: indictus — not spoken; not said
  • Russian: невы́сказанный (nevýskazannyj) — not spoken; not said
  • Russian: невы́раженный (nevýražennyj) — not spoken; not said
  • Telugu: చెప్పని (ceppani) — not spoken; not said
  • Bulgarian: неписан (nepisan) — not formally articulated or stated
  • Bulgarian: негласен (neglasen) — not formally articulated or stated
  • Czech: nepsaný — not formally articulated or stated
  • Finnish: julkilausumaton — not formally articulated or stated
  • Finnish: kirjoittamaton — not formally articulated or stated
  • French: tacite — not formally articulated or stated
  • Latin: indictus — not formally articulated or stated
  • Russian: непи́саный (nepísanyj) — not formally articulated or stated
  • Russian: негла́сный (neglásnyj) — not formally articulated or stated