unelected

adjective

un·​elect·​ed ˌən-i-ˈlek-təd 

: not chosen by vote : not elected

unelected government officials

unelected judges

Examples of unelected in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, the vice president, an unelected position, takes over for up to 90 days — a period that can be extended to six months with a vote of the National Assembly. —Megan Janetsky, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026

Noriega had served as an unelected military dictator alongside various Panamanian Presidents. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026

Puerto Rico—denied sovereignty and voting rights in Congress, constrained by an unelected fiscal control board, and still rebuilding from Hurricane Maria—has no power over the defense or foreign policy decisions that shape its fate. —Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 10 Nov. 2025

But for Steiner, of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, the case has forced Israelis to examine the worsening clash between populist politicians and unelected bureaucrats whom some Israelis view as out of touch. —Matt Bradley, NBC news, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unelected

• disaffected
• disconnected
• disinfected
• interjected
• intersected
• misdirected
• preselected
• recollected
• reconnected
• redirected
• reelected
• resurrected