Unsung hero is a term that first appeared in the mid-1800s, though it has its roots in ancient Greece. We will examine the meaning of the term unsung hero, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.
An unsung hero is a person who has achieved great things or committed acts of bravery or self-sacrifice, yet is not celebrated or recognized. An unsung hero may be someone who acts bravely in battle without notice, or someone who sacrifices himself for the good of the group, without recognition. The earliest known use of the term unsung hero is in a children’s periodical published in the mid-1800s called Merry’s Museum & Parley’s Magazine. The idea that heroes should be celebrated in song goes back thousands of years. Many believe that the origin of the term unsung hero dates to the Greek poet Pindar, who celebrated the athletes in the Panhellenic festivals in a series of odes. In his work, Isthmian Odes, Pindar wrote: “Unsung, the noblest deed will die.”
Examples
HELEN Keevers died suddenly on Mother’s Day as one of the unsung heroes of the fight for justice for child sexual abuse survivors in the Hunter and across Australia. (The Newcastle Herald)
Mervo’s Jamar Mackell and Eastern Tech’s Natalie Bates were the big winners at the 78th annual McCormick Unsung Heroes Awards Banquet Monday night at Martin’s Valley Mansion in Cockeysville. (The Baltimore Sun)
While Hardway might seem like just another face of Denison’s task force, he is an unsung hero of this campus. (The Denisonian)
An off-duty Dolton police detective who was honored last year for being an “unsung hero” was shot several times when he exchanged gunfire with two men who tried to rob him outside his home on the South Side of Chicago early Monday, according to authorities. (The Chicago Tribune)