unregistered

British  

/ ʌnˈrɛdʒɪstəd /

adjective

1. not registered

   driving an unregistered vehicle

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Explanation

Something that isn't recorded officially is unregistered. If your car is unregistered, you can't legally drive it. When you put something on an official list or enter it into a directory, you register it. Leaving it off such a list makes it unregistered. In some cases, this isn't a big deal — your puppy, being a lovable mixed-breed rather than a fancy purebred dog with the official paperwork to prove it, is unregistered. But when it comes to things you're required to register, like cars and guns for example, being unregistered is a real problem.

Example Sentences

Years later, the commission sued Jordan for selling unregistered securities—a strict-liability process violation that requires no proof of fraudulent intent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

Some of the cases related to serving as an unregistered foreign agent, a charge Bondi ordered prosecutors to stop pursuing unless they involved “conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.”

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

All unregistered terminals will be disconnected, Fedorov said.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

Hundreds of children in care in England are being placed at risk in unregistered homes for months at a time by councils, MPs have warned.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

Because the van was unregistered, they couldn’t get it back.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls