unstressed

/ˈʌnˌstrɛst/

/ənˈstrɛst/

An unstressed syllable is the part of the word that you don't emphasize or accent, like the to- in today, or the -day in Sunday. An unstressed person is someone for whom every day feels like Sunday.

When you pronounce a word with multiple syllables, like avocado (to choose a random example), you put more pressure on some syllables than others — in this case, the ah and the cah. Consider those syllables stressed. If they were people, they'd be biting their nails and pulling out their hair while sitting at a desk piled with paperwork. The vo and the do, on the other hand, would be unstressed — lounging with their feet on the desk, doing crossword puzzles.

Definitions of unstressed

1. adjective

   not bearing a stress or accent
   “short vowels are unstressed”

   synonyms:

   feminine

   (music or poetry) ending on an unaccented beat or syllable

   light, unaccented, weak

   (used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress

   unemphatic

   not emphasized

   antonyms:

   stressed

   bearing a stress or accent

   emphasised, emphasized, emphatic

   spoken with emphasis

   masculine

   (music or poetry) ending on an accented beat or syllable