unmentioned

Unmentioned is an adjective used to describe something that has not been named, stated, or referred to in a given text, discussion, or context. It characterizes omissions rather than explicit content and can signal gaps in coverage, argument, or evidence.

The word is formed by the prefix un- attached to the past participle mentioned, following standard English morphology. It has been in use in the modern period and is common across formal and informal registers.

Unmentioned is closely related to unstated and unspoken, but it emphasizes that a topic or item has simply not been brought up, rather than being explicitly declared. It often marks a lacuna in discussion that may be deliberate or inadvertent.

In usage, the term appears in academic writing to note missing data or assumptions, in journalism to point to omitted sources, and in literary analysis to highlight aspects of a scene or argument that the text leaves unnamed. It can fuel critical examination of arguments and reporting.

Examples include: “The report discussed several risks, but the potential conflict of interest was unmentioned.” and “The theory rests on an unmentioned assumption about rational behavior.”

Related terms include unstated, unspoken, unspecified, and omitted.