What does unspeak mean?
Unspeak is a formal and literary verb meaning to avoid speaking about something, leave it unsaid, or deliberately refrain from mentioning it. In modern English, it most often suggests conscious restraint: a person refuses to discuss a subject because discussing it may be painful, inappropriate, forbidden, or otherwise unwelcome. The word does not normally mean that someone is physically unable to speak, a sense for which the more familiar adjective speechless is usually used. Unspeak appears in elevated contexts such as literature, public statements, and formal descriptions of silence or secrecy, and it is considerably less common than the related adjective unspeakable. The expression “unspeak the unspeakable” is a familiar rhetorical phrase describing the attempt to convey experiences or events that seem beyond the limits of language. Although the word is not restricted to either British or American English, its literary register makes it better suited to careful or dramatic prose than to ordinary conversation.
verbTo avoid speaking about something or to leave it unsaid. The word often implies a deliberate refusal or reluctance to mention a subject.
- To avoid speaking about something or to leave it unsaid.
- In older literary usage, to refrain from speaking or to be unwilling to speak.
"When asked about the scandal, he simply chose to unspeak it."
"The novel refuses to unspeak the atrocities it describes."
"When asked about the scandal, he simply chose to unspeak it."
Less common than its adjective, unspeak captures the deliberate silence that can be as powerful as speech.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unspeak come from?
Unspeak is an English formation built from the negative prefix un- and the verb speak. It developed in the early modern period, with its established sense being to refrain from speaking about something. It shares its verbal root with English forms such as speech, speaker, and spoken, and its best-known modern derivative is unspeakable.
Related word forms
How unspeak is actually used
Unspeak is literary, formal, and somewhat uncommon in contemporary English. It usually means that a person deliberately avoids mentioning something, not that the person is physically unable to speak. The related adjective unspeakable is much more frequent.
Easily confused with unspeak
Unspeak is a verb meaning to avoid speaking about something, while unspeakable is usually an adjective describing something too extreme or painful to describe.
Unspoken is usually an adjective or participle meaning not said aloud, while unspeak is a literary verb meaning to avoid saying something or to leave it unsaid.