uncharted
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What’s the difference between uncharted and unchartered? Uncharted means unexplored or unmapped, as in uncharted territory or uncharted waters. Unchartered means not having (or not done under) a charter or some other kind of official authorization, as in an unchartered flight. It’s sometimes used to mean unauthorized or lawless, as in unchartered activity. The chart in uncharted refers to a map, but charted is not commonly used as an adjective—most people would say mapped. In contrast, both unchartered and chartered (meaning having a charter or officially authorized) are used. The two words are often used in much different contexts, but there are some cases where both could apply. For example, a remote parcel of land may be both uncharted (unmapped) and unchartered (not bound by any official charters or laws). Here’s an example of uncharted and unchartered used correctly in a sentence. Example: The movie is an adventure about a group of teens who take a secret, unchartered flight to explore an uncharted island. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between uncharted and unchartered.
Etymology
Origin of uncharted
Explanation
If a place is uncharted, it means it isn't found on any map, like the uncharted wilderness settlers found when heading west, or, more figuratively — the uncharted territory of a new strategy. The word charted originated in the 1570s, when chart was the name navigators used for maps. So when navigators reached a place not found on their charts, they called the place uncharted. Uncharted also can be used in a figurative sense to describe the start of a new experience, such as the uncharted territory of talking about a difficult subject for the first time.
Vocabulary lists containing uncharted
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Amina's Voice
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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.
Its galactic bulge survey alone will observe approximately 100 million stars while exploring regions of the Milky Way that remain largely uncharted.
From Science Daily • Jun. 1, 2026
Meanwhile, Micron and its peers are in uncharted territory.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Amazon Prime announced “The Greatest,” a Michael B. Jordan-produced mini-series on legendary heavyweight fighter Muhammad Ali, not exactly uncharted territory.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
Hearts have been front-runners for the majority of this captivating campaign, but this is uncharted territory for the Tynecastle outfit.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
In a way, this was a new world, uncharted.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
