unofficial

adjective

un·​of·​fi·​cial ˌən-ə-ˈfi-shəl 

also -ō-

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

unofficial results

an unofficial policy

unofficially adverb

Examples of unofficial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 24-year-old, who runs the unofficial Siwa Nation fan page with a friend originally won a contest for a trip to Los Angeles to meet the star, but the cruise dates ended up working better. —Nathan Diller, USA Today, 18 June 2026

Kennedy’s influence could lead to new policy, said Paul Knoepfler, a stem cell biologist and unofficial watchdog of stem cell clinics, to the outlet. —Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 18 June 2026

Here’s how a few savvy gastronomic marketers decided to kick their way into scoring a massive ROI goal with unofficial promotions. —Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

Rise became a fan favorite during Artemis II and an unofficial mascot for the crew, which included commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. —ABC News, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unofficial

• artificial
• beneficial
• cicatricial
• interstitial
• nonjudicial
• nonofficial
• prejudicial
• sacrificial
• superficial
• extrajudicial
• semiofficial
• initial

Medical Definition

unofficial

adjective

un·​of·​fi·​cial ˌən-ə-ˈfish-əl 

: not official

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