unofficial

adjective un·of·fi·cial \ ˌən-ə-ˈfi-shəl also -ō- \

Updated on: 9 May 2018

Definition of unofficial

: not authorized or acknowledged by a government, group, class, or society : not official

unofficial results

an unofficial policy

—

unofficially

adverb

See unofficial defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of unofficial from the Web

During his unofficial visit to Eugene this weekend that changed, as the 6-foot-3, 190-pound signal-caller, out of Mount Si High School (Snoqualmie, Washington), committed, celebrating his decision by drinking raw eggs with coach Mario Cristobal.

— andrew nemec, OregonLive.com, "Cale Millen, fast-rising prospect and son of former NFL QB, commits to Oregon Ducks," 6 May 2018
Demolition of the wall began as people began chipping away at it, claiming souvenirs and even creating holes big enough for new unofficial border crossings in some places.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 7 Weeks to Go - West Germany Win Italia '90 Against a Backdrop of Reunification," 6 May 2018
Johnson will take an unofficial visit to Ohio State on Sunday.

— bill landis, cleveland.com, "Ohio State's complicated 2019 QB recruiting situation: Welcome Dwan Mathis and Sam Johnson," 5 May 2018
The unofficial polling reports posted to the Humble ISD website as of 11 p.m. May 5, favored the school district’s $575 bond with 72.05 percent approval; 807 votes for and 313 against.

— melanie feuk, Houston Chronicle, "Unofficial polling reports favor Humble ISD bond," 5 May 2018
The festival, a celebration of cultural diversity, was held Saturday, May 5, and serves as an unofficial kickoff to the summer festival season locally.

— gloria casas, Elgin Courier-News, "Elgin iFest takes visitors around the world with food and music," 5 May 2018
Kristen Jones of Flint is another member of the Rebel Legion, along with members Mana Green of Canton, Anna Rossmann of Lansing and unofficial member Lisa Bernier.

— brandon patterson, Detroit Free Press, "The Force was strong for Star Wars Day at the Detroit Institute of Arts," 4 May 2018
The Trump administration has argued that the program created to provide temporary protection for specific situations, such as natural disasters, shouldn’t have become an unofficial permanent status for the hundreds of thousands of recipients.

— brenda medina, miamiherald, "Hondurans in South Florida 'hopeless' after Trump administration ends immigration protection TPS | Miami Herald," 4 May 2018
The unofficial event is being organized by event production company Newmindspace and is sponsored by Midtown Association and Visit Sacramento, according to the Facebook invite.

— michael mcgough, sacbee, "Happy Star Wars Day! Here are some Sacramento-area 'May the Fourth' celebrations | The Sacramento Bee," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unofficial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unofficial

1784

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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UNOFFICIAL Defined for Kids

unofficial

adjective un·of·fi·cial \ ˌən-ə-ˈfi-shəl \

Definition of unofficial for Students

: not official

—

unofficially

adverb

Medical Dictionary

unofficial

adjective un·of·fi·cial \ ˌən-ə-ˈfish-əl \

medical Definition of unofficial

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

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See words that rhyme with unofficial Spanish Central: Translation of unofficial Nglish: Translation of unofficial for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of unofficial for Arabic speakers

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