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.
Boko Haram is unaffiliated with either group, but has historic ties to both.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025
Public records reviewed by the BBC suggest Robinson had in the past registered as an unaffiliated, or nonpartisan, voter in Utah.
From BBC • Sep. 12, 2025
An unaffiliated grassroots organization called Unfair Canada formed last year to start the discussion about labor disputes.
From Salon • Aug. 16, 2025
Hassett did not say that, but “Walter Bloomberg,” who is unaffiliated with the financial news service, has more than 800,000 followers.
From Slate • Apr. 8, 2025
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
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.
