unsuspected

adjective

un·​sus·​pect·​ed ˌən-sə-ˈspek-tə-bəl How to pronounce unsuspected (audio)
Synonyms of unsuspectednext
: not imagined to exist or be true, likely, or possible : not suspected
an unsuspected illness
… suggests that the universe contains a hitherto unsuspected form of invisible matter.—I. Peterson

Examples of unsuspected in a Sentence

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.
An enormous but unsuspected hive After some hours the authorities were able to work out what had happened. — Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 16 May 2025 There’s a beautiful lilting rhythm to the story’s developments as the centrality of each of the four principal characters keeps shifting, often showing unsuspected sides of them. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019 This suggests that pigeons use a combination of the sun’s orientation and magnetic sensing to navigate—and the latter is a previously unsuspected mechanism for magnetic perception in animals. — ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026 Further investigation showed that the projector optics included a previously unsuspected UV filter incorporated into a block of glass that protects the rest of the system in case the projector’s bulb explodes. — Paul Wallich, IEEE Spectrum, 24 June 2016 See All Example Sentences for unsuspected

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unsuspected was circa 1530

Rhymes for unsuspected

See All Rhymes for unsuspected

Browse Nearby Words

unsusceptible
unsuspected
unsuspectedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unsuspected.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsuspected. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on unsuspected

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unsuspected

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All