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.
Election Lab figures showed Democrats making up around 44 percent of early voters in those states, compared with 31 percent for Republicans and 25 percent for unaffiliated or minor-party voters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
About one-third of Maine's voters are unaffiliated with either party.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Though many unaffiliated voters have made up their minds, those who remain undecided will begin making decisions soon, as mail ballots go out and early voting begins in some states.
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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