unseen
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
buy (something) sight unseen
To purchase something without seeing or examining it first. When I decided to buy a house sight unseen, I knew it would probably need a lot of repairs—and I was right!
sight unseen
Without having ever seen or inspected the particular person or thing in question. In this country, it's not uncommon to be arranged to marry someone sight unseen. Only a fool would buy a car sight unseen.
what has been seen cannot be unseen
Disturbing or upsetting images are not easily forgotten. Even though I'm back from the battlefield now, what has been seen cannot be unseen.
buy something sight unseen
to buy something without seeing it first. I bought this land sight unseen. I didn't know it was so rocky. It isn't usually safe to buy something sight unseen.
sight unseen
Without having viewed the object in question, as in He bought the horse sight unseen. This seeming oxymoron-how can a sight, which means something seen, be not seen?-dates from the late 1800s.
sight unˈseen
if you buy something sight unseen, you do not have an opportunity to see it before you buy it: We bought the table sight unseen and were pleased to find it was perfect for our kitchen.sight unseen
Without seeing the object in question: bought the horse sight unseen.
sight unseen
Without previous examination; taken on faith. This term, which implies accepting something without verification, dates from the late nineteenth century. The 1898 Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture stated, “The intelligent farmer of today has got beyond buying ‘sight unseen’ when it comes to fertilizer.”