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

The filing is the latest salvo in a legal feud between the two companies, one that was — in CAA’s telling of events — set in motion after a set of high-profile agents allegedly defected from the agency with trade secrets to help CEO Peter Micelli run an unlicensed competitor. —Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025

An inoperable or unlicensed vehicle kept on residential property is considered a nuisance and can be subject to fines, according to the Louisville Jefferson County Department of Codes and Regulations. —Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Nov. 2025

The operation was conducted under Oklahoma’s 287(g) partnership with ICE to address public safety concerns tied to unlicensed and unauthorized drivers. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 19 Nov. 2025

With the evidence collected by Mesler and others, Zhang, Han, Zhou and Wang were charged in federal court between May and September of 2019 with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. —Rob Kuznia, CNN Money, 18 Nov. 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)