unofficial

adjective

un·​of·​fi·​cial ˌən-ə-ˈfi-shəl How to pronounce unofficial (audio)
 also  -ō-
: not authorized or acknowledged by a government, group, class, or society : not official
unofficial results
an unofficial policy
unofficially adverb

Examples of unofficial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web If the unofficial results from election night stand, Lindsey and Pittman will face Democrats Ingrid Nurse and Eulonda Rushing in the November general election for the two available seats on the board. Kendrick Marshall, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024 Sacramento Mayor As of Wednesday morning, unofficial results reported close to midnight on Tuesday show three leading candidates for Sacramento Mayor. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 Incumbent Stephanie Klick and David Lowe are headed to a runoff in the Republican primary for House District 91, according to unofficial results. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 The battle to face Whitburn in November appeared — just after the polls closed Tuesday — to be between Coleen Cusack and Kate Callen, who were only a few percentage points apart in the early, unofficial returns. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco came top in his Republican primary election with 39% of votes and is set for a runoff, according to unofficial results published by the county. Rachel Clarke, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 His name still appears at the top of the list of Republican candidates for governor, according to the unofficial candidate filing list on the Missouri Secretary of State Office’s website. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Many of the city’s restrictions aren’t new, but in past years, they were instituted as emergency measures during the unofficial holiday – not measures put in place ahead of time. David Fischer, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2024 Sharif’s term is likely to be overshadowed by lingering allegations of electoral fraud from Khan’s Movement for Justice party, or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which appeared to have a commanding lead in unofficial polls released immediately after voting stations closed on Feb. 8. Rick Noack, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unofficial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unofficial was in 1784

Dictionary Entries Near unofficial

Cite this Entry

“Unofficial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unofficial. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

unofficial

adjective
un·​of·​fi·​cial ˌən-ə-ˈfish-əl How to pronounce unofficial (audio)
: not official
specifically : of, relating to, or being a drug not described in the United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary compare nonofficial, official
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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