voiceless

American  

[vois-lis] / ˈvɔɪs lɪs /

adjective

1. having no voice; mute.

2. uttering no words; silent.

3. having an unmusical voice.

4. unspoken; unuttered.

   voiceless sympathy.

5. having no vote or right of choice.

6. Phonetics. (of a speech sound)

   1. without voice; unvoiced; surd; aphonic (voiced ).

      “p,” “f,” and “s” are voiceless.

   2. uttered without phonation.

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voiceless British  

/ ˈvɔɪslɪs /

adjective

1. without a voice; mute

2. not articulated

   voiceless misery

3. lacking a musical voice

4. silent

5. without the power or right to express an opinion

6. phonetics articulated without accompanying vibration of the vocal cords

   in English (p) is a voiceless consonant

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Other Word Forms

• voicelessly adverb
• voicelessness noun

Etymology

Origin of voiceless

First recorded in 1525–35; voice + -less

Example Sentences

Now a vast swathe of light twisted in a voiceless wind; then the swathe vanished, and shimmering pale-green waves rippled across the stars.

From Literature

"A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilising millions to register to vote - leaving an indelible mark on history," they added.

From BBC

“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement posted online.

From Los Angeles Times

Through Spear’s resurrection, “Primal” is quietly delivering a zombie drama that’s strangely life-affirming, led by a tenderhearted brute who is sensitive to the other voiceless, helpless beings around him.

From Salon

“I didn’t feel that I had a voice with, really, any aspect of my life growing up. I felt kind of voiceless,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times