unlicensed
Americanadjective
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having no license.
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done or undertaken without license or permission; unauthorized.
-
unrestrained; unbridled.
adjective
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having no licence
an unlicensed restaurant
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without permission; unauthorized
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unrestrained or lawless
Etymology
Origin of unlicensed
First recorded in 1600–10; un- 1 + license ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
When something is unlicensed, it has no license, i.e., no official government approval. If a restaurant doesn't have a liquor license but serves wine anyway, it's an unlicensed sale of that beverage. You will hear the word unlicensed most often involving illegally-possessed firearms. Murders are often committed with unlicensed guns, meaning that the killer purchased the gun without a license, most likely from a shady dealer.
Vocabulary lists containing unlicensed
100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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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.
The patent application was filed through Mount Sinai, and the technology remains unlicensed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Instead, people were turning towards cheaper, unlicensed hire services which did not pay the same overheads, he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
"Half, 86, involved overcharging, and another 35 involved unlicensed operators, and there were probably more because often tourists don't complain," she said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The result is that states have been forced to turn to unlicensed medical personnel.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
City officials asked a state court to ban the car pool, claiming it was an unlicensed transportation system.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
