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 MillerExamples 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 Web
Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2025
Problem: You’re burdened with a huge pile of unread messages.
—Chris Guillebeau, Contributor, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2025
Instead of an impersonal email drowning in a sea of unread messages, RCS guides customers through a step-by-step process—uploading documents, chatting with an advisor and seeing real-time approval estimates with interactive sliders.
—Jēnna Reese, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Though messages are permitted, hundreds of them are usually left unread on his accounts, many from potential commercial partners looking to work with his most famous client.
—Simon Hughes, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
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Adjective
An Overflowing Inbox Having hundreds or even thousands (hey, no judgment!) of unread emails in your inbox can be overwhelming, to say the least.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2025
Problem: You’re burdened with a huge pile of unread messages.
—Chris Guillebeau, Contributor, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2025
Instead of an impersonal email drowning in a sea of unread messages, RCS guides customers through a step-by-step process—uploading documents, chatting with an advisor and seeing real-time approval estimates with interactive sliders.
—Jēnna Reese, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Though messages are permitted, hundreds of them are usually left unread on his accounts, many from potential commercial partners looking to work with his most famous client.
—Simon Hughes, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unread
Cite this Entry
“Unread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unread. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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unread
adjective
un·read
ˌən-ˈred 
ˈən-
1
: not read
an unread book
2
: not well informed through reading : uneducated
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