unstructured
Americanadjective
adjective
-
without formal structure or systematic organization
-
without a preformed shape; (esp of clothes) loose; untailored
Etymology
Origin of unstructured
First recorded in 1940–45; un- 1 + structured
Explanation
Unstructured is an adjective describing something that lacks structure or form. Some things should never be left unstructured, like a schedule for building a house or a timeline for retirement. A popular phrase that's currently associated with this adjective is unstructured time, which is another way of saying "there's nothing on the schedule." Unstructured time might encourage daydreaming, creativity, or stress management, but for extremely organized people who like to follow schedules and have everything in order, unstructured anything can make them feel lazy or crazy.
Vocabulary lists containing unstructured
Articles on Dangers of Technology
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Deven: The Seventh Star
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stru, struct (make, build)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A year-long commission, external on play, by the Centre for Young Lives, last year found children spend half as much time in unstructured outdoor play than any generation before them.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
As Dan Kois illustrates in this ode to kicking back with friends, spending unstructured time together is a blessedly simple cure to the ills of modern life.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
Yet what about companies that aren’t industrial, that deal with the “open, unstructured world,” as Linzey puts it, and can be far more challenging for machines?
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
These scenes are where the film does its best work, conveying the necessity of unstructured play with ease alongside the movie’s funniest jokes.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
The unstructured blobs of irregular galaxies, the arms of spiral galaxies and the torus of ring galaxies exist for only a few frames in the cosmic motion picture, then dissipate, often to be reformed again.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
