unheard-of

adjective

un·​heard-of ˌən-ˈhərd-ˌəv How to pronounce unheard-of (audio)
-ˌäv
: previously unknown
especially : unprecedented
moving at unheard-of speeds

Examples of unheard-of in a Sentence

houses selling at unheard-of prices
Recent Examples on the Web Its usual way moves in with a privacy that rips out plantings ragged and diseased a leap exhilarating away in unheard-of petals. Christopher Tayler, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024 The prolonged nature of Mr. Assange’s case is not unheard-of, in part because of Britain’s extradition rules, which allow for appeals on a variety of issues, said Nick Vamos, former head of extradition for the British Crown Prosecution Service. Megan Specia, New York Times, 20 May 2024 That, say, bonds sold to rehab Soldier Field just two decades ago can be rolled into a new $1.2 billion debt issue — with an almost unheard-of 40-year amortization — without trashing the state’s credit rating. David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2024 The ensuing weekend gave way to additional tracks from each artist, bringing the total to an unheard-of nine tracks of back-and-forth wordplay in roughly 6 weeks. Rivea Ruff, Essence, 7 May 2024 Again, all this is just research, and for all of it to work well starting this spring would be a legitimately unheard-of technical achievement. David Pierce, The Verge, 5 May 2024 Many students will accumulate large debt burdens that were virtually unheard-of half a century ago. Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 2 May 2024 Since its raucous entrance into the space industry more than two decades ago, SpaceX has evolved from a scrappy start-up perpetually near death to a dominant behemoth that has continued to upend the market for space launches by achieving one unheard-of milestone after another. Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024 Electoral inscriptions in the bakery hint that buying votes was not unheard-of. Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unheard-of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unheard-of was in 1592

Dictionary Entries Near unheard-of

Cite this Entry

“Unheard-of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unheard-of. Accessed 31 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

unheard-of

adjective
un·​heard-of
-ˌəv,
-ˌäv
: previously unknown : unprecedented
moving at unheard-of speeds

More from Merriam-Webster on unheard-of

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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