unread

Everyday

1. Unread means not read yet. An unread book or message is one nobody has read. tree →
2. An unread person is someone who has not read much (rare). tree →

In the lessons

In maths: the part not yet read: unread pages, books or messages; usually the total minus what was read. Everyday life: unread emails or texts on a phone. In school: a pile of unread library books. Phrases: unread messages, unread pages, left unread.

Examples

• She has 12 unread books on her shelf. tree →
• The book has 200 pages; 75 are read. How many are unread? tree →
• He had 9 unread messages. tree →
• After reading 4 letters, 3 were still unread. tree →
• The letter lay unread on the table for a week. tree →
• My phone shows 5 unread texts. tree →
• Half of the pages are still unread. tree →
• He returned the library book unread. tree →

Note

Say «un-RED» (like the past form of read). «Un-» means not. Unread = total − read. Trap: if the question gives the unread part, the read part is the total minus it.