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 unofficial Midwest holiday doesn't fall on the same day every year because it is celebrated on Fat Tuesday, which takes place in relation to Easter and the Christian observance of Ash Wednesday. —Jelissa Burns, Freep.com, 6 Jan. 2026

The watchdog further said there was substantial reason to believe Collins may have used House resources for unofficial purposes and granted special favors by keeping an employee tied to his chief of staff. —Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 5 Jan. 2026

Those unofficial stats show Garrett’s 23 tied for first with Al Baker’s 23 with the Detroit Lions in 1978, the year the NFL expanded from 14 to 16 games in the regular season. —Mike Sando, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026

Still, Beijing’s unofficial ban on Korean pop culture will likely stay in place. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 4 Jan. 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