unread message
Inbox item waiting
An unread message is one that hasn't been opened or viewed yet.
Email clients and messaging apps typically mark unread messages with bold text, a colored dot, or a notification badge showing the count: I have forty unread messages in my inbox.
The term applies to any digital communication—emails, texts, DMs—that awaits the recipient's attention.
- inboxMessage receiving folder
- inbox zeroNo pending messages
- notificationFormal notice given
- push notificationAutomatic message from app
- notification badgeIcon overlay showing updates
alert · pending · envelope · mailbox · waiting · ignored · unopened · badge · ping · reminder · checking in · spam · reply · subject · sender · urgent · neglected · backlog
- messagingtext, chat, send, reply, inbox
- communication failsmisunderstanding, autocorrect fail, typo, wrong number, reply all