unofficial

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

|Updated on: 18 Jul 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

Allen took an unofficial visit to UK’s campus in June but was unable to play in pickup games with the current Wildcats as originally planned due to a minor injury.

— jon hale, The Courier-Journal, "Pendleton County star Dontaie Allen shines as Calipari and Mack watch," 14 July 2018
Houston's favorite unofficial holiday is here so bust out your swangas and Astros gear while chowing down on some delicious barbecue.

— fernando alfonso iii, Houston Chronicle, "It's 713 Day. How Houston are you? Take the quiz.," 13 July 2018
Isiaih Mosley, a Columbia native and top-100 prospect according to ESPN, said he’s taken three unofficial visits to Missouri this summer, partly thanks to his trainer Devin Griffin, who hails from East St. Louis, Ill., and knows Cuonzo Martin.

— alex schiffer, kansascity, "This week in Mizzou recruiting: E.J. Liddell, Tray Jackson, Isiaih Mosley and more," 12 July 2018
This urge came to a head at my ten-year high-school reunion — sort of an unofficial summertime thing my classmates organize every July.

— the cut, The Cut, "3 Juicy High-School and College Reunion Stories," 12 July 2018
The currency is plummeting, with the unofficial value of the rial, which most Iranians are forced to trade, nearly halving since January.

— sune engel rasmussen, WSJ, "Facing Threats at Home and Abroad, Iran’s President Takes a Harder Line," 11 July 2018
Trump is referencing an unofficial GDP growth forecast from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

— salvador rizzo, Washington Post, "Anatomy of a Trump rally: 76 percent of claims are false, misleading or lacking evidence," 10 July 2018
Brooks traveled to Iowa City for an unofficial late last month, with the Hawkeyes among a top 10 that also includes Georgetown, IU, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Purdue, Texas and UCLA.

— zach osterman, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: IU basketball's 5 primary targets for 2019 recruiting class," 9 July 2018
Privacy - Terms So do your part to honor this unofficial-but-still-glorious holiday by eating some fries.

— michelle jenkins, idahostatesman, "It's never been easier, or maybe greasier, to support The Idaho Foodbank: Just eat fries!," 7 July 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

NEW! Time Traveler

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