unsung

adjective

un·​sung ˌən-ˈsəŋ How to pronounce unsung (audio)
Synonyms of unsungnext
1
: not sung
2
: not celebrated or praised (as in song or verse)
an unsung hero

Synonyms of unsung

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of unsung in a Sentence

the unsung men and women who keep the streets safe He is one of the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Food, France, Family and the Stew that Saved my Soul, Sylvie Bigar explores the world in search of unsung culinary delights and vibrant destinations, armed with three passports and four languages. — Sylvie Bigar, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 There are many unsung volunteers around the Southland playing important roles for sports programs, whether handling snack bars, helping with security, taking tickets or bringing refreshments. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026 The Chiefs have enjoyed a dynasty, which isn’t achievable without having many unsung architects behind the scenes. — Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 21 July 2026 An unsung suburb of Houston, the city is named for nearby Rice University. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for unsung

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unsung was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing unsung

Rhymes for unsung

See All Rhymes for unsung

Browse Nearby Words

unsummed
unsung
unsung hero
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unsung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsung. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

unsung

adjective
un·​sung ˌən-ˈsəŋ How to pronounce unsung (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not sung
2
: not celebrated or praised (as in song or verse)
unsung heroes

More from Merriam-Webster on unsung

Nglish: Translation of unsung for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All