Definitions

unread

[uhn-red] / ʌnˈrɛd /

ADJECTIVE

dark

Synonyms

WEAK

benighted uncultivated unenlightened unlettered

Antonyms

WEAK

apparent bright brilliant cheerful distinct encouraging evident good happy hopeful illuminated light lucid luminous manifest moral plain pleased radiant shining visible vivid

ADJECTIVE

ignorant

Synonyms

STRONGEST

illiterate innocent naive oblivious obtuse uneducated uninformed

WEAK

apprenticed benighted birdbrained blind to cretinous dense green imbecilic in the dark inexperienced insensible mindless misinformed moronic nescient shallow thick unconscious unconversant uncultivated uncultured unenlightened uninitiated unintellectual unknowledgeable unlearned unlettered unmindful unschooled unsuspecting untaught untrained unwitting witless

Antonyms

STRONGEST

educated experienced intelligent learned taught

WEAK

aware competent knowledgeable literate talented wise

ADJECTIVE

illiterate

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ignorant uneducated

WEAK

benighted catachrestic inerudite solecistic unenlightened ungrammatical uninstructed unlearned unlettered unschooled untaught untutored

Antonyms

STRONGEST

educated intelligent

WEAK

able learned literate taught

ADJECTIVE

illusive

Synonyms

WEAK

apparent chimerical deceitful delusive fake false illusory imaginary misleading mocking seeming sham

Antonyms

WEAK

real

ADJECTIVE

lowbrowed

Synonyms

WEAK

ignorant illiterate uneducated unlearned unlettered unrefined unschooled unsophisticated untaught untutored

ADJECTIVE

nescient

Synonyms

WEAK

apprenticed benighted birdbrained blind to cretinous dense green illiterate imbecilic in the dark inexperienced innocent insensible mindless misinformed moronic naive oblivious obtuse shallow thick unconscious unconversant uncultivated uncultured uneducated unenlightened uninformed uninitiated uninstructed unintellectual unknowledgeable unlearned unlettered unmindful unschooled unsuspecting untaught untrained unwitting witless

ADJECTIVE

uneducated

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ignorant illiterate unschooled

WEAK

benighted empty-headed ignoramus inerudite know-nothing lowbrow uncultivated uncultured uninstructed unlearned unlettered unrefined untaught untutored

Antonyms

STRONGEST

educated learned literate

WEAK

intelligent lettered taught

ADJECTIVE

uninstructed

Synonyms

WEAK

apprenticed benighted birdbrained blind to cretinous dense green illiterate imbecilic in the dark inexperienced innocent insensible mindless misinformed moronic naive nescient oblivious obtuse shallow thick unconscious unconversant uncultivated uncultured uneducated unenlightened uninformed uninitiated unintellectual unknowledgeable unlearned unlettered unmindful unschooled unsuspecting untaught untrained unwitting witless

ADJECTIVE

unscholarly

Synonyms

WEAK

ADJECTIVE

untaught

Synonyms

STRONG

unlearned

WEAK

uneducated unschooled

Antonyms

WEAK

learned taught

ADJECTIVE

unversed

Synonyms

WEAK

ignorant inexperienced uneducated unlearned unschooled

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While editing helps with emails I do send, a bigger challenge remains: the 16,685 unread messages in my inbox.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

And that might have been where this all ended—an unread message sinking to the bottom of my inbox—if not for an email LabCorp sent three weeks later.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026

Mackesy describes how during lockdown he received "terrifying numbers of emails" through his website, remembering one occasion when his phone said that he had 86,000 unread emails.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2025

The fliers that come through the mail slot accumulate but go unread.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2024

Diego sent me a couple of texts, left some messages, but I deleted them unanswered and unread.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

unread

Example Sentences

Related Words