unclassified
Americanadjective
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not assigned to a class or category; not arranged according to characteristics.
Reported instances fall into two main types, with a few unclassified anomalies.
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(of data, documents, etc.) not belonging to a category that is restricted for reasons of security; not secret.
unclassified plans; unclassified information.
adjective
-
not arranged in any specific order or grouping
-
(of information) not possessing a security classification
-
(of football results) not arranged in any special order or in divisions
Etymology
Origin of unclassified
First recorded in 1860–65; un- 1 + classified
Explanation
Anything that's unclassified hasn't been sorted or organized into a certain category. If your symptoms can't be identified as a specific illness, your doctor may describe you as having an unclassified condition. Science is all about classifying things, putting them into classes or groups based on common traits. Things that haven't been thoroughly studied by scientists remain unclassified, like creatures at the very bottom of the ocean or genes that remain mysterious. Another meaning of this adjective is "not secret," usually when we're talking about documents: "The unclassified pages of notes from the President's meeting were published by the newspapers."
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 Times said its unclassified contents were confirmed by several lawyers who had seen it.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
An EPA spokesman said the Defense Department agency that produced the models had designated them “controlled unclassified information,” and not publicly releasable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Colby Jenkins, a senior Pentagon official, transmitted the 12-page unclassified assessment to congressional defense committees outlining Pentagon assessments of civilian casualties for all its global operations in 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
That bill - which mandated US Department of Justice to publicly release unclassified records - was signed into law by Trump.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
“Too bad we’re going to be stuck on Step Two forever. It’s not like they’ll suddenly decide to make the VanQuish files unclassified just for us.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
