unlicensed

adjective

un·​li·​censed ˌən-ˈlī-sᵊn(t)st 

: not licensed: such as

a

: not authorized or permitted by a license

unlicensed merchandise

an unlicensed firearm

the unlicensed reproduction of books

b

: operating without a license

unlicensed vendors

an unlicensed electrician

unlicensed brokers

unlicensed drivers

Examples of unlicensed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet, at the same time, despite all the huffing and puffing about the big evil CAA trying squash the little guy, Judge Young has not let Range off the hook yet for being allegedly being unlicensed talent agency, as CAA insists, or over the unfair competition element of this. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2025

The year Hitter started teaching, the state Department of Public Instruction issued over 3,000 emergency licenses for schools to hire unlicensed teachers — a number that continues to grow significantly each year. —Rory Linnane, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025

An unlicensed driver who tried to evade police during a high-speed pursuit and crashed into a family’s car in Mountain View, killing two young boys in the other vehicle, has pleaded guilty to charges that include two counts of murder. —City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025

Private fortunes are being made through licensed and unlicensed mining, smuggling, and sales to the central bank of Ethiopia, which is desperate for hard currency amid the country’s continuing economic meltdown. —Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unlicensed

• licenced
• licensed

Medical Definition

unlicensed

adjective

un·​li·​censed

variants or chiefly British unlicenced

-ˈlīs-ᵊn(t)st

: not licensed

especially, of a drug : not approved for use by the appropriate regulating authority (as the Food and Drug Administration in the United States)