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 MillerSynonyms
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 WebMarina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 24 Jan. 2024
The man’s words then sat, unread and forgotten, until a few years ago, when an American literary scholar came across them while digging around one night in an online newspaper database.
—Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 23 May 2024
Messages pointing out that it’s been a while feel disingenuous and often go unread.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
The order of phone-reading was always the same: daily Scripture, unread text messages, Wordle.
—Alex Montoya, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unread 
Adjective
The top five states with unread texts include California, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina and Michigan; and the top five states with unread emails include Alabama, Massachusetts, Maryland, Kentucky and Colorado.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 24 Jan. 2024
The man’s words then sat, unread and forgotten, until a few years ago, when an American literary scholar came across them while digging around one night in an online newspaper database.
—Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 23 May 2024
Messages pointing out that it’s been a while feel disingenuous and often go unread.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
The order of phone-reading was always the same: daily Scripture, unread text messages, Wordle.
—Alex Montoya, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unread
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.
Dictionary Entries Near unread
Cite this Entry
“Unread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unread. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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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