uncertified

American  

[uhn-sur-tuh-fahyd] / ʌnˈsɜr təˌfaɪd /

adjective

1. lacking certification, official documentation, or guarantee.

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Explanation

Anything that's not officially approved or accepted is uncertified. Don't celebrate winning that close election just yet — the results are still uncertified, so there might be a recount. When something is certified, it's been declared to be authentic or official, like a certified letter. When a person is certified, they've met a certain standard, like a certified accountant. Add the prefix un- ("not") and you get the opposite, something or someone who's failed to meet this standard of authenticity or expertise. If your school hires uncertified teachers, they may not be as well-educated as you'd like them to be.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

uncertified

The charge sheet said the migrants had been put to sea from the French coast in a boat "that was of poor quality, uncertified, unsuitable for navigation at sea, overloaded, and without correct life jackets".

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Prosecutors have accused the defendants of helping launch a "substandard small boat, uncertified, unfit for navigation on the open sea, overcrowded and lacking appropriate life jackets."

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

In the 2020-2021 year, more than a quarter of schools employed uncertified teachers and 24 percent had no counselors.

From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

Of his many below-water trips, few have been on uncertified submersibles; when he worked for the United States Geological Survey, the department wouldn’t let him dive in an uncertified vessel.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 24, 2023

Getting down to more verifiable facts, though, Ruby Archuleta was an uncertified midwife who had been safely delivering babies since 1940.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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