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

And arguably, there could be no more appropriate guest for the internet’s favorite unofficial beauty filter. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026

The date has now become an annual unofficial holiday for the brand. — Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026

Instead, Kushner began acting as an unofficial adviser to his father-in-law starting in May 2025, as the war reached a fever pitch. — Allegra Goodwin, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

But McCloud has been exhibiting them annually at Psychedelic San Francisco Gallery on Bicycle Day, an unofficial celebration of the first LSD trip, taken by its inventor, scientist Albert Hofmann, in 1943 while on a bike ride home from the lab. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 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