unacknowledged

If something's unacknowledged, it hasn't been recognized or made public, like your unacknowledged fear of the dark — it exists, but you've never admitted or even spoken about it.

Unacknowledged things have been ignored or disregarded. And it's the same when a person is unacknowledged: she deserves to be recognized for some accomplishment or quality, but she hasn't been praised for it. A brilliant artist who isn't able to sell many paintings might be an unacknowledged genius, for example. This word comes from acknowledge, a combination of the Middle English aknow, "show one's knowledge," and knowlechen, "admit."

Definitions of unacknowledged

1. adjective

   not openly acknowledged
   “an unacknowledged emergency”

   synonyms:

   undeclared

   not announced or openly acknowledged
2. adjective

   not recognized or admitted
   synonyms:

   unappreciated, unsung, unvalued

   having value that is not acknowledged

   secret, unavowed

   not openly made known

   unconfessed

   not admitted

   unrecognised, unrecognized

   not recognized

   unknown

   not known

   antonyms:

   acknowledged

   recognized or made known or admitted

   accepted, recognised, recognized

   generally approved or compelling recognition

   self-confessed

   owned up to

   assumptive

   accepted as real or true without proof

   declarable

   that must be declared

   given, granted

   acknowledged as a supposition

   putative

   purported; commonly put forth or accepted as true on inconclusive grounds

   known

   apprehended with certainty