English Reference
Adjective

unnoticed

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ənˈnoʊtɪst/ UK /ʌnnˈəʊtɪsd/ un·no·ticed

adj.not seen or heard by anyone. You use this to describe something that happens without people paying attention to it.

adj.not observed, perceived, or remarked upon. Often used to describe subtle changes or actions performed discreetly.


SIMPLE

She tried to slip out of the room unnoticed.

CONTEXTUAL

The small error in the contract went unnoticed for months until a lawyer finally spotted it during a routine audit.

COMPLEX

While the grand architectural changes were praised by the public, the subtle improvements to the building's structural integrity remained largely unnoticed by the casual observer.

Usage

Often follows linking verbs like 'go', 'pass', or 'remain'.

Pitfall
he did it unnoticedlyhe did it unnoticed

Learners often try to add '-ly' to create an adverb, but 'unnoticed' is frequently used as a predicative adjective or a depictive secondary predicate.

The team wanted to see if they could locate rare cell types in CAA that are often critical in cancer but can go unnoticed depending on the method used to detect them.

Phys.org· 18 Aug 2026

In those cases, evidence of life is present, yet it goes unnoticed.

ScienceDaily· 30 Jun 2026

From un- + noticed.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated