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
Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2025
However, with emails often being automatically directed into spam or junk folders or deleted unread, nonprofits have to get creative about enticing subscribers to open emails and engage.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
After a new prime minister is elected, the old leader's letters are destroyed, unread.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
The kind of thing that could wind up at the bottom of a development slush pile or remain unread forever.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unread
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Adjective
Separately, there's part of your brain devoted to telling the visual system what not to pay attention to, like the icon showing an ever-growing number of unread emails.
—Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2025
However, with emails often being automatically directed into spam or junk folders or deleted unread, nonprofits have to get creative about enticing subscribers to open emails and engage.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
After a new prime minister is elected, the old leader's letters are destroyed, unread.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
The kind of thing that could wind up at the bottom of a development slush pile or remain unread forever.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 3 Feb. 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 12 Mar. 2025.
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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