unofficial

adjective

un·​of·​fi·​cial ˌən-ə-ˈfi-shəl 

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

In some cases, protesters have set unofficial deadlines for foreigners who had entered illegally to leave. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

Designer dressing was the unofficial dress code for the event, with stars sporting pieces from Givenchy, Michael Kors and Roberto Cavalli. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026

State officials stressed that the unofficial totals will increase as the towns report on different schedules. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026

Employees were reportedly running AI agents on meaningless tasks to inflate their token count and climb an unofficial internal AI leaderboard called Kirorank. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unofficial

• artificial
• beneficial
• cicatricial
• interstitial
• nonjudicial
• nonofficial
• prejudicial
• sacrificial
• superficial
• extrajudicial
• semiofficial
• initial

Medical Definition

unofficial

adjective

un·​of·​fi·​cial ˌən-ə-ˈfish-əl 

: not official

specifically : of, relating to, or being a drug not described in the United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary compare nonofficial, official