unaffiliated
Britishadjective
Explanation
If someone's not connected to a certain group or organization, they're unaffiliated. If you vote, but you're not registered as a Democrat or a Republican, you're unaffiliated. Not being connected or associated with a specific political party is one way to be unaffiliated. If you don't belong to a particular religious group, you can describe yourself as religiously unaffiliated. The origin of this word is the verb affiliate, "join or be closely connected," and its Latin root affiliatus, the past participle of affiliare, "to adopt a son."
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.
My portfolio manager, a CFP professional and fiduciary with the firm, has recommended moving a portion of the bond allocation into a deferred fixed annuity offered by a highly rated, unaffiliated insurance company.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
About one-third of Maine's voters are unaffiliated with either party.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
The trend is partly driven by majorities of millennial and Gen Z voters choosing to be unaffiliated with either party, according to Gallup research.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Secularism reinforces this alignment: 43% of Oregon adults are religiously unaffiliated, 14 points higher than the national average.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
He was unaffiliated with any street gang, and we are confident he was unarmed and innocent of the charges being leveled against him.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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