disappeared

[ dis-uh-peerd ]

adjective

1. having vanished from sight or existence:

   Right this minute, the only thing I want to do is to find a way to recover my disappeared phone photos.

   The museum displays tools and artifacts from an almost disappeared culture, known only from one archaeological site.

2. (of a person) having vanished under suspicious or unknown circumstances:

   Family members of the disappeared persons were denied the right to any effective remedy, including the right to know the fate of their loved ones.

noun

, (used with a plural verb)

1. none the disappeared. people, especially political opponents, who have vanished under suspicious or unknown circumstances, or without due process of law:

   The determination of the parents, grandparents, and—most recently—children of the disappeared is finally putting dictators, torturers, and their accomplices behind bars.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of disappear ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of disappeared¹

First recorded in 1400–50 as a verb: disappear ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ), and in 1640–50 as an adjective: disappear ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

"We often get partners at odds with each other because men have disappeared up the aisle and are buying things they maybe already have," he told the BBC.

From BBC

Around 5 p.m., as the light disappeared and the air grew chilly, Jovita Bautista, 50, stayed at her post at the check-in desk outside KIWA, where she had been stationed since 8 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times

A Hawaii woman disappeared after sending a cryptic message to her family and then missing a connecting flight to New York at Los Angeles International Airport, according to her family and police.

From Los Angeles Times

This hinges on a lack of coverage of the story, with many claiming it disappeared from the news agenda.

From BBC

The family made it to safe ground, but their homes disappeared over the edge.

From BBC

Related Words

• absent
• adrift
• disoriented
• hidden
• invisible
• misplaced
• vanished