unmarked
Americanadjective
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not marked.
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Linguistics.
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characterized by the absence of a distinctive phonological feature, as (p), which, in contrast to (b), lacks the distinctive feature of voicing.
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characterized by the absence of a grammatical marker, as the singular in English in contrast to the plural, which is typically marked by an -s ending.
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neutral with regard to an element of meaning specified by a semantically related item.
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occurring more typically than an alternative form.
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adjective
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not carrying a mark or marks
an unmarked police car
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not noticed or observed
Etymology
Origin of unmarked
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at un- 1, marked
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.
Parking lots filled up fast — the lot at Curry Village was full by 8 a.m. — and cars were stashed in every unmarked flat spot their owners thought they could get away with.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Yet the majority treats Louisiana’s mapmaking choices that offend Section 2 as if they arrived unmarked by history.
From Slate • May 8, 2026
In October, Marimar Martinez, en route to a Chicago church to donate clothes, saw an unmarked vehicle she suspected was carrying federal agents.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Some populations are dark green with obvious blotches, making them fairly easy to distinguish from the redtail pit viper, which is bright green and unmarked.
From Science Daily • Apr. 21, 2026
Wes wins the jump easily, and—just like Coach had predicted—Pennsville leaves me unmarked, double-teams Terrell, and sets up a triangle zone.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
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.
