unstructured

adjective un·struc·tured \ ˌən-ˈstrək-chərd \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Examples: unstructured in a Sentence

Definition of unstructured

: lacking structure or organization: such as

a : not formally organized in a set or conventional pattern

an unstructured question

feel insecure in an unstructured situation

b : not having a system or hierarchy typical of an organized society

See unstructured defined for English-language learners

Examples of unstructured in a Sentence

Unstructured play time is important for children.
Her life is very unstructured.

Recent Examples of unstructured from the Web

For so many American kids, that used to mean meandering stretches of unstructured time playing outdoors.

— alex salkever, Fortune, "Fortnite Is Poised to Rule the Summer. Are Parents Prepared?," 5 July 2018
And at the moment, there are two styles in particular that are popping up everywhere: slouchy, unstructured dad caps and bucket hats, a.k.a.

— yang-yi goh, GQ, "22 Summer Hats Even You Won’t Look Dorky In," 24 May 2018
Research shows that the freedom of unstructured time in open space helps kids learn to focus.

— conor williams, The Atlantic, "The Perks of a Play-in-the-Mud Educational Philosophy," 26 Apr. 2018
Abel smartly juxtaposes this fateful summer of structured activities and unstructured hormones with regular flashbacks that reveal the rickety frame on which Camp Llamalo came to be.

— ellen emry heltzel, The Seattle Times, "Heather Abel’s sly ‘The Optimistic Decade’ is an exceptional coming-of-age novel," 5 June 2018
Walton's 'do, along with other standout looks of the night — like tousled, unstructured waves, bandana headbands, and cornrows with shapes — were a testament to the theme of the evening: Wang's American story.

— refinery29.com, "Alexander Wang Just Reintroduced The World To Personalized Cornrows," 4 June 2018
The unstructured summer months ahead are an especially good time to offer them a smorgasbord of reading options.

— ellen handler spitz, New York Times, "What Should Your Kid Read This Summer? Here Are Three to Start With," 1 June 2018
Few would question the value of cultivating resilience, creativity, leadership, resourcefulness, and curiosity—all skills learned through the energetic and unstructured interaction of kids with each other and their surroundings.

— National Geographic, "Dirt is Good: Why the Outdoors is the World's Greatest Playground," 7 May 2018
But these barriers are likely to be lowered as advances in technology untangle unstructured data and companies develop solutions for merging disparate systems to more effectively collect and analyze health data.

— neile grayson, STAT, "Real-world data can help make better drugs and do it faster," 2 May 2018

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