1
: not read : left unexamined
an unread book
unread messages
Poe, Hawthorne, Shakespeare, Thackeray—the full panoply of English literature piled up unread, but treasured, under my bed.—
Russell Baker
Russell Baker2
: lacking the experience or the benefits of reading
unread in political science
plural unreads
: something (such as an email or text message) that has not been read
I'm also someone who hates having unread emails, and opening my inbox and seeing dozens of unreads stresses me out immensely.—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
Rachel Wilkerson Miller
Synonyms
Examples of unread in a Sentence
Adjective
On her desk was a pile of magazines that had been left unread for months.
an officer who seemed to be completely unread in military theory
Recent Examples on the WebJuliet MacUr, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Ten years on, the bookshelves are something like a mood board of my early twenties: short-story collections with the same flat affect; rangy, unread best-sellers; New Directions Pearls.
—The New Yorker, 9 July 2023
And direct messages will now be brought together, showing the most recent message from each chat — and giving you the option to only see unread messages.
—Bychris Morris, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2023
Related Story Affordable Gifts Your Coworkers Will Actually Love Who is most likely to have over 5,000 unread emails?
—Emily Becker, Women's Health, 24 May 2023
There are a couple of tiles available including one to access contacts and one for voice messages, and a complication showing the number of unread messages sitting in your WhatsApp inbox.
—Jon Porter, The Verge, 9 May 2023
Advocates arguing such prescription information should go fully digital say the instructions are only for medical professionals, who often already consult up-to-date electronic versions and leave the papers unread and discarded.
—Dieter Holger, WSJ, 15 June 2023
This is a hefty, taffy-colored leather chair facing the fireplace, with Thad’s stack of (mostly unread) books beside it.
—Joyce Carol Oates, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
In fact, the phenomenon of owning unread books is so common, there’s even a term for it: the antilibrary.
—Hollyanna McCollom, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2023
See More
Adjective
The next day, Khalida Popal’s phone had 252 unread messages, many from players on Afghanistan’s developmental team.
—Juliet MacUr, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Ten years on, the bookshelves are something like a mood board of my early twenties: short-story collections with the same flat affect; rangy, unread best-sellers; New Directions Pearls.
—The New Yorker, 9 July 2023
And direct messages will now be brought together, showing the most recent message from each chat — and giving you the option to only see unread messages.
—Bychris Morris, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2023
Related Story Affordable Gifts Your Coworkers Will Actually Love Who is most likely to have over 5,000 unread emails?
—Emily Becker, Women's Health, 24 May 2023
There are a couple of tiles available including one to access contacts and one for voice messages, and a complication showing the number of unread messages sitting in your WhatsApp inbox.
—Jon Porter, The Verge, 9 May 2023
Advocates arguing such prescription information should go fully digital say the instructions are only for medical professionals, who often already consult up-to-date electronic versions and leave the papers unread and discarded.
—Dieter Holger, WSJ, 15 June 2023
This is a hefty, taffy-colored leather chair facing the fireplace, with Thad’s stack of (mostly unread) books beside it.
—Joyce Carol Oates, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
In fact, the phenomenon of owning unread books is so common, there’s even a term for it: the antilibrary.
—Hollyanna McCollom, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unread.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near unread
Cite this Entry
“Unread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unread. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
unread
adjective
un·read
ˌən-ˈred 
ˈən-
1
: not read
an unread book
2
: not well informed through reading : uneducated
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