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unrecognized

unrecognized

3 4.2
Not known or noticed by other people
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌnˈrɛkəɡnaɪzd/
translation icon : no reconocido
  • He walked through the crowded market, feeling completely unrecognized by anyone around him.
  • go unrecognized
  • often unrecognized
  • previously unrecognized

They're living in obscurity, they're untrusted, unrecognized, unknown.

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Examples

  • There are three primary reasons why the extent of this common disorder has gone largely unrecognized until recently.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Dance is unrecognized as a distinct subject of learning.

    Academic text (1993)
  • However, they were not allowed to go back to correct previously unrecognized mistakes.

    Academic text (1992)
  • In my experience, that uncertainty remains a common and often unrecognized problem.

    Academic text (2004)
  • It's awful when this happens, even more so when it goes totally unrecognized by one's peers.

    Blog text (10)
  • Membership in the European Community has a profound, although often unrecognized, effect on the functioning of domestic politics.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Still today, some women writers of Italian background remain unrecognized because they write with their acquired Anglo or Jewish married names.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • One section dealt specifically with the previously unrecognized role of women in city munificence and urban expansion.

    Blog text (22)
  • Her shoulders slumped with the release of unrecognized tension that left her muscles aching.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The 1-day program starts with a barefoot walk in which students become sensitized to previously unrecognized phenomena on the ground.

    Academic text (1998)

Synonyms

unidentified
vsunrecognized
4.2

Not known or named

is about lacking public acceptance or acknowledgement
unknown
vsunrecognized
629 2.3

Not known or named, often with no name given

is about lack of acceptance or acknowledgment rather than mere fame
unheard
vsunrecognized
76 4.9

Not noticed because nobody listened

focuses on missing formal acceptance rather than auditory absence
unseen
vsunrecognized
66 3.2

Hidden so people do not notice it

relates more to lacking recognition or official acceptance than invisibility
unnoticed
vsunrecognized
57 2.5

Other people do not see or pay attention to it

focuses on missing acknowledgement or acceptance rather than mere invisibility
undetected
vsunrecognized
37 4.6

Not found or noticed by others

concerns lack of acceptance or recognition more than mere nondiscovery
little-known
vsunrecognized
34 7.3

Few people know about it

focuses on lack of recognition or acceptance beyond simple obscurity
under the radar
vsunrecognized
34 5.2

People do not notice it because someone keeps it quiet

is about being unacknowledged or not accepted rather than deliberate secrecy
unmarked
vsunrecognized
12 4.8

Not noticed or celebrated by other people

relates more to missing social or formal acceptance than visibility
unidentifiable
vsunrecognized
9 6.1

You cannot tell what something or someone is

is about being unacknowledged rather than impossible to identify
unacknowledged
vsunrecognized
5 6.1

Not recognized or accepted openly by others

focuses on missing general acknowledgement rather than missing a name
unobserved
vsunrecognized
3 5.2

Not seen or noticed by anyone

concerns lack of acknowledgement rather than simply lack of sight
unrevealed
vsunrecognized
1 6.2

Kept secret from other people

is about missing acknowledgement or acceptance rather than deliberate secrecy
unperceived
vsunrecognized
1 8.2

Other people do not notice someone or something

is about lacking acceptance or acknowledgement rather than lack of notice
underseen
vsunrecognized
8.3

Seen by only a few people

is about missing acceptance or notice rather than low audience size
unregarded
vsunrecognized
6.7

Not noticed or given any attention

is about not being accepted or acknowledged more than mere neglect
overlooked
vsunrecognized
4.0

People do not notice it when it is important

is about not being acknowledged or accepted rather than just being missed
unlooked
vsunrecognized
  • Archaic
9.9

Not seen or noticed

is about absence of social or official acceptance rather than being unseen
unapprehended
vsunrecognized
9.1

Not understood or noticed by most people

relates to lacking external acceptance rather than internal comprehension

Antonyms

recognized
  • Formal
3.5

Known and officially accepted as important or respected

Accepted by others as true or real

Compounds

unrecognized state
  • Specialized
8.4

A territory that acts like an independent nation but other countries do not accept it as a country

How Recognized

recognized
  • Formal
3.5
known
2 1.0
unrecognized
3 4.2
unknown
629 2.3
anonymous
317 4.5

Surface Forms

unrecognized positive
unrecognised positive

Morphology

unrecognized = recognized (transparent) = un + recognize + ed

The sense is the negative of 'recognized' (not identified or acknowledged), so the negation with the productive prefix 'un-' is semantically straightforward.

Etymology

Unrecognized begins with un- 'not' and comes from recognize, which once meant 'to know again' as re- means 'again' and the rest means 'to know'. So, in this sense, someone unrecognized is 'not seen as someone people know' or 'not identified', for example when a person in disguise is not noticed by fans.