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.
Tobias Higbie, the director of UCLA’s institute on labor and employment and unaffiliated with the negotiations, said the three unions gained more leverage by agreeing to solidarity strikes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
The Times identified hundreds of records detailing other sellers with names that appear to be fake or addresses that go to unaffiliated businesses, shopping centers and commercial mailbox offices.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 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
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.
