unrecognized
Britishadjective
-
not recognized or identified
hitherto unrecognized planets
-
not given formal acknowledgment of legal status
the unrecognized Communist Workers' Party
Explanation
Anything that has been overlooked or that hasn't been noticed before is unrecognized. Your brother may insist that his unrecognized singing talent will make him famous some day, despite the fact that he can barely carry a tune. Things that simply haven't been discovered yet are unrecognized, like an unrecognized case of pneumonia that doctors initially diagnosed as a bad cold. And qualities that aren't given the proper amount of attention are also unrecognized. It wasn't until your soccer coach had you sub in for an injured forward that she discovered your unrecognized talent for playing offense.
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.
“Thanks to the leadership of the Native Community we compiled a list of Federally Recognized, State Recognized, First Nations, Latin American, and currently Unrecognized Tribes.”
From Seattle Times • Aug. 31, 2020
In July, the Committee on Unrecognized Single-Gender Social Organizations officially recommended a total ban.
From Washington Post • Sep. 28, 2017
Unrecognized and untreated, they can sideline athletes from play and lead to more serious injuries and disability.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2016
Unrecognized statelets such as Nagorno-Karabakh, part of Azerbaijan; Transnistria, a sliver of Moldova; Abkhazia and South Ossetia, disputed units of Georgia; and now Donetsk and Luhansk, parts of Ukraine—each entails a story of Stalinist border-making.
From Newsweek • Feb. 28, 2015
Unrecognized illegitimate children must ask the consent of their mother, when she is known, and in her default consent must be asked of the maternal grandparents, and in their default, that of the family council.
From Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World by Ringrose, Hyacinthe
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.
