unread

1 of 2

adjective

un·​read ˌən-ˈred 

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

2

: lacking the experience or the benefits of reading

unread in political science

unread

2 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms of unread

Adjective

• ignorant
• dark

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 Web

Adjective

Some feel fine with 3,254 unread emails, while others can keep on top of it. —Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2026

Yet the documentary also references the nearly iconic joke about how issues of the magazine would pile up in people’s living rooms, like the ultimate unread homework assignment. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025

Noun

Although many workers detest checking their inboxes—often flooded with mundane inquiries and spam emails—some executives go straight to their unreads each morning. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1915, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unread

• abed
• ahead
• beachhead
• bedspread
• bedstead
• behead
• blackhead
• blockhead
• bloodshed
• bowhead
• breastfed
• bridgehead

Kids Definition

unread

adjective

un·​read ˌən-ˈred 

ˈən-

1

: not read

an unread book

2

: not well informed through reading : uneducated