unobserved

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "unobserved" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is not being watched or noticed by anyone. Example: "The cat moved silently through the garden, unobserved by the birds perched in the trees."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

It can be used to infer the existence of unobserved and unobservable events, and to infer causal relations from statistical relations.

SEP

In other words, he shows that there are more reasons to worry about underdetermination concerning inferences to hypotheses about unobservables than to, say, inferences about unobserved observables.

SEP

Churchland concludes that the distinction between things that are unobserved but observable, and things that are unobservable, "is only very feebly principled and is wholly inadequate to bear the great weight that van Fraassen puts on it" (Churchland 1985, 40).

SEP

Even as the predictable centre of the distribution appears less risky, the unobserved tail risk has grown.

The Economist

A common approach in development economics is to use cross-country panel data, which is data collected for a set of countries over time and to control for unobserved factors that either vary across countries and are constant over time or vary over time and are constant across countries.

The Economist

This may be indicative of the buckets of cash swashing round the valley or some other unobserved geographic-specific variable.Creating a successful startup can be a crap shoot.

The Economist

Now two groups of physicists, working independently, have demonstrated that nature is indeed real when unobserved.

The Economist

These theories postulate the existence of hitherto unobserved particles of the sort that CERN will be looking for when the LHC is finished.

The Economist

Finally, we illustrate that when one controls for unobserved constituent and legislator effects, there is little relationship between money and legislator votes.Well, maybe there's plenty of money in politics after all.

The Economist

The snaps may not have ruined the honeymoon quite as utterly as Ms Cox maintains, but she was on a private beach attached to a remote villa on a distant island the sort of place where even a celebrity might reasonably expect to frolic unobserved.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

1 human-written examples

The favoured explanation is the so-called cosmological constant an as-yet-unobserved consequence of the general theory of relativity.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "unobserved" to specifically indicate that something wasn't seen or noticed, especially in contexts where observation is a key factor. For instance, in scientific experiments or security protocols.

Common error

Avoid using "unobserved" when you mean something is fundamentally impossible to observe, instead use "unobservable". "Unobserved" simply means something wasn't watched or detected, while "unobservable" means it cannot be observed by its very nature.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "unobserved" is as an adjective. It modifies nouns, describing something that has not been seen or noticed. Ludwig provides various examples of its adjectival usage across different contexts, confirming its grammatical role.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

37%

News & Media

52%

Encyclopedias

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "unobserved" functions primarily as an adjective to describe something that has not been seen or noticed. It is grammatically correct and frequently used across various contexts, as confirmed by Ludwig. The phrase has a neutral register, suitable for both formal and informal writing. Ludwig's AI analysis and numerous examples from reputable sources demonstrate that understanding of "unobserved" is clear and consistent with well-established English usage.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unnoticed

Focuses on the lack of attention something receives.

undetected

Emphasizes the failure to discover something's presence.

unseen

Highlights the absence of visual perception.

overlooked

Suggests something was missed despite being present.

concealed

Implies deliberate hiding or obscuring.

hidden

Indicates something is not easily found or visible.

unperceived

Highlights a lack of awareness or sensory input.

disregarded

Emphasizes a lack of consideration or importance attributed to something.

ignored

Suggests a conscious decision to pay no attention.

unheeded

Implies a warning or advice was not listened to.

FAQs

How can I use "unobserved" in a sentence?

You can use "unobserved" to describe something that wasn't seen or noticed. For example: "The experiment was designed to detect previously "unobserved" particles."

What's the difference between "unobserved" and "unseen"?

"Unobserved" implies a lack of observation in a broader sense, while ""unseen"" specifically refers to a lack of visual perception. "Unobserved" can encompass other forms of detection, not just sight.

Which is correct: "unobserved" or "not observed"?

Both "unobserved" and ""not observed"" are correct. "Unobserved" is more concise and commonly used as a single-word adjective.

What are some synonyms for "unobserved"?

Synonyms for "unobserved" include "unnoticed", "undetected", "unseen", and "overlooked". The best choice depends on the specific context.