undetected

adjective un·de·tect·ed \ ˌən-di-ˈtek-təd , -dē- \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Definition of undetected

: not observed, noticed, or detected

an undetected flaw/error

an undetected illness

These rare mistakes are subtle and may go undetected for months and even years.
—Mario Salvadori

See undetected defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of undetected from the Web

This condition, and the Hepatitis C that caused it, had gone undetected.

— courant.com, "Sharon E. Torrant," 8 July 2018
Charlson said elections officials culled 317 that were duplications because a voter had made more than one change while the glitch went undetected, reducing the number to 83,176.

— michael dresser, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland elections board and MVA agree on number of voters whose information wasn't transferred on time: 83,493," 6 July 2018
The goal is to better identify which patients can tolerate intensive chemotherapy, and which patients may need modified treatment regimens because of underlying conditions, such as cognitive impairment, that often go undetected by oncologists.

— judith graham, Washington Post, "Geriatric Assessments Could Fine-Tune Cancer Care For Older Adults," 28 June 2018
The software can be installed remotely, without the user noticing, and runs undetected in the background.

— jackie borchardt, cleveland.com, "Dave Yost said this software was the 'smoking gun' in ECOT audit. What does it do?," 11 May 2018
That means the germ has the potential to spread undetected in that facility.

— ashley welch, CBS News, "Antibiotic resistant "nightmare bacteria" a growing threat in the U.S., CDC warns," 3 Apr. 2018
Critics say the practice — which, contrary to the president’s tweet, is not enshrined in law — gives the immigrants an opening to skip their hearing and settle undetected in the country.

— katie rogers, New York Times, "Venting on Immigration, Trump Vows ‘No More DACA Deal’ and Threatens Nafta," 1 Apr. 2018
Experts believe the Asian beetle probably arrived in the state about 2004, and went undetected.

— lee bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Emerald ash borer continues to decimate trees 10 years after it was discovered in Wisconsin," 25 June 2018
The lawsuit said some prisoners complained their cancer went undetected or they were told to pray to be cured after begging for treatment.

— Washington Post, "Arizona’s prisons boss found in contempt over inmate care," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'undetected.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of undetected

circa 1602

in the meaning defined above

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undetected

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