What does unsubscribed mean?
Unsubscribed is the past tense and past participle of unsubscribe, meaning that someone has stopped receiving something through a subscription. It is most often used for email newsletters, promotional mailing lists, text-message services, digital platforms, and recurring memberships. A person may unsubscribed because they no longer want the material, receive too many messages, or want to reduce unwanted communication. The word can describe the action itself, as in “she unsubscribed from the list,” or the resulting state, as in “the address is no longer subscribed.” Although “cancelled” or “stopped” may sometimes convey a similar idea, “unsubscribed” specifically identifies the ending of a subscription relationship. The term is common in formal instructions and website controls as well as in everyday descriptions of managing online communication.
verb (past tense and past participle)To have canceled or stopped a subscription, especially to an email newsletter, mailing list, digital service, or recurring membership. It can also describe the resulting state of no longer being subscribed.
- To have canceled or discontinued a subscription, particularly to a newsletter, mailing list, digital service, or recurring membership.
- To be in the state of no longer being subscribed to or receiving something.
"After reading the final issue, she unsubscribed from the newsletter."
"The customer unsubscribed from the weekly emails after receiving too many promotional messages."
"The account remained inactive because the user had unsubscribed from all notifications."
One click can turn a regular inbox arrival into something that never comes again.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unsubscribed come from?
Unsubscribed is formed in English by adding the prefix un- to subscribe and the past-tense and participial ending -ed. Subscribe ultimately comes from Latin subscribere, formed from sub-, meaning “under,” and scribere, meaning “to write”; the un- prefix reverses the idea of being enrolled in or receiving a subscription. The modern use became especially familiar with the growth of periodicals, mailing lists, and electronic services.
Related word forms
How unsubscribed is actually used
The word is especially common in digital and administrative contexts involving email lists, messaging services, subscriptions, and memberships. British and American English do not differ in its form or meaning.