diff --git a/test/t/unary_visitor.cpp b/test/t/unary_visitor.cpp
index 8df6110..8996ab6 100644
--- a/test/t/unary_visitor.cpp
+++ b/test/t/unary_visitor.cpp
@@ -125,3 +125,25 @@ TEST_CASE("changes in const visitor (with mutable internals) should be visible",
     REQUIRE(mapbox::util::apply_visitor(ts, v) == sizeof(std::string));
     REQUIRE(ts.result() == sizeof(std::string));
 }
+
+struct is_uninitialized_visitor
+{
+    bool operator() () const { return true; }
+
+    template <typename T>
+    bool operator() (T const& ) const { return false; }
+};
+
+TEST_CASE("apply_visitor on uninitialized variant", "[visitor][unary visitor]")
+{
+    namespace mu = mapbox::util;
+    using variant_type = mu::variant<int, std::string, double>;
+    variant_type v{mu::no_init()};
+
+    // total_sizeof doesn't have operator()()
+    CHECK_THROWS_AS(mu::apply_visitor(total_sizeof(), v), mu::bad_variant_access);
+
+    // is_uninitialied_visitor has operator()()
+    REQUIRE_NOTHROW(mu::apply_visitor(is_uninitialized_visitor(), v));
+    CHECK(mu::apply_visitor(is_uninitialized_visitor(), v) == true);
+}
diff --git a/variant.hpp b/variant.hpp
index db5d3c8..bc4ce97 100644
--- a/variant.hpp
+++ b/variant.hpp
@@ -67,6 +67,10 @@ class bad_variant_access : public std::runtime_error
 
 }; // class bad_variant_access
 
+struct no_init
+{
+};
+
 template <typename R = void>
 struct MAPBOX_VARIANT_DEPRECATED static_visitor
 {
@@ -289,6 +293,24 @@ struct unwrapper<std::reference_wrapper<T>>
     }
 };
 
+template <typename R, typename F, typename Enable = void>
+struct dispatch_no_init
+{
+    VARIANT_INLINE static R apply(F&&)
+    {
+        throw bad_variant_access("apply_visitor on uninitialized variant");
+    }
+};
+
+template <typename R, typename F>
+struct dispatch_no_init<R, F, decltype(void(std::declval<F>()()))>
+{
+    VARIANT_INLINE static R apply(F&& f)
+    {
+        return f();
+    }
+};
+
 template <typename F, typename V, typename R, typename... Types>
 struct dispatcher;
 
@@ -320,17 +342,17 @@ struct dispatcher<F, V, R, T, Types...>
     }
 };
 
-template <typename F, typename V, typename R, typename T>
-struct dispatcher<F, V, R, T>
+template <typename F, typename V, typename R>
+struct dispatcher<F, V, R>
 {
-    VARIANT_INLINE static R apply_const(V const& v, F&& f)
+    VARIANT_INLINE static R apply_const(V const&, F&& f)
     {
-        return f(unwrapper<T>::apply_const(v.template get<T>()));
+        return dispatch_no_init<R, F>::apply(std::forward<F>(f));
     }
 
-    VARIANT_INLINE static R apply(V& v, F&& f)
+    VARIANT_INLINE static R apply(V&, F&& f)
     {
-        return f(unwrapper<T>::apply(v.template get<T>()));
+        return dispatch_no_init<R, F>::apply(std::forward<F>(f));
     }
 };
 
@@ -551,10 +573,6 @@ struct static_none_of : std::is_same<std::tuple<std::false_type, typename Predic
 
 } // namespace detail
 
-struct no_init
-{
-};
-
 template <typename... Types>
 class variant
 {