WordGarden.iounsold
A1Pronunciation
UK
- /ʌnsˈəʊld/
US
- /ənˈsoʊld/
Meanings
Adjective
not yet sold to a buyer
not convinced or persuaded
Beyond the definition
Imagine a baker making dozens of delicious cookies. At the end of the day, some cookies are happily being munched on, but others remain in the display case—those are the unsold cookies! "Unsold" simply means something hasn't been bought after an attempt to sell it. It often applies to items like goods in a store, tickets to an event, or even houses on the market. A shop might have "unsold inventory," meaning they still need to find buyers for those products. You'll often hear about unsold merchandise during sales events, as stores are eager to clear out everything to make room for new stock.
The word "unsold" describes anything that has been offered for sale but has not yet found a buyer. It implies an attempt to sell something that has not succeeded so far. Think of a farmer's market at the end of the day: baskets overflowing with beautiful produce might be called "unsold," signaling a possible bargain for late shoppers.
"Unsold" is most often used for physical things and countable items that people normally buy: books, clothes, cars, homes, food, and tickets. A publisher might worry about unsold copies of a new book sitting in storage. A concert organizer might count the unsold seats before the show starts. A real estate agent might keep lowering the price of an unsold house in hopes of attracting interest.
The context often suggests disappointment or urgency. An "unsold house" suggests a seller eager to move on, while a report about "unsold tickets" for a concert may imply weak demand. Even so, the word itself is mainly descriptive rather than strongly negative. It simply states a fact: something is still available because nobody has bought it yet. Whether you are browsing a clearance rack or reading about business trends, "unsold" points to the gap between putting something up for sale and someone finally buying it.
Examples
- 1
Concert seats
A few seats were still unsold an hour before the concert.
- 2
Ticket sales
Hundreds of tickets went unsold, so the club canceled the second show.
- 3
Retail sale
At the end of the season, the store put its unsold winter coats on sale.
- 4
Bookstore returns
The publisher asked bookstores to return any unsold copies after three months.
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- unsoldadjective