unofficial

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

Definition of unofficial

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

unofficial results

an unofficial policy

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unofficially

adverb

See unofficial defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of unofficial from the Web

And an unofficial Google Scholar mirror site is accessible within China.

— dennis normile, Science | AAAS, "Science suffers as China’s internet censors plug holes in Great Firewall," 30 Aug. 2017
Otaiba: General [Anthony] Zinni [an unofficial envoy to the Gulf], made the rounds over to the region about two weeks ago.

— kathy gilsinan, The Atlantic, "Emirati Ambassador: Qatar Is a Destructive Force in the Region," 28 Aug. 2017
Candidates from all parties are on the same ballot in each voting district, making the primary an unofficial first round or a poll with a large sample size.

— charlie devereux, Bloomberg.com, "Argentina’s Government Risks Embarrassment in Primary Vote Count," 23 Aug. 2017
Michael Schweinfest, interim vice president of administration, has been serving as an athletic director for the past year in an unofficial role.

— kate murphy, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati State is suspending all sports except soccer," 15 Aug. 2017
Julia and I are already there and having our own unofficial panel.

— rachel hoge, Longreads, "How to Stop Apologizing for My Stutter, and Other Important Lessons," 4 Aug. 2017
DCPS laid out the record-keeping process in a response to a parent’s complaint about unofficial suspensions, which was obtained by The Post:

— alejandra matos, Washington Post, "How The Washington Post examined suspensions in D.C. schools," 18 July 2017
The group recently wore matching black polos with yellow piping from the British brand, like some sort of unofficial uniform.

— christine flammia, Esquire, "Fred Perry Wants Nothing to Do With Its Alt-Right Fanboys," 10 July 2017
Its unofficial name is the Citizen Fuel Reduction Policy.

— sven berg, idahostatesman, "Boise looks to team up with landowners to fight fire, invasive plants in Foothills," 24 June 2017

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

UNOFFICIAL Defined for Kids

unofficial

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

Definition of unofficial for Students

:not official

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unofficially

adverb

Medical Dictionary

unofficial

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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