unchartered

American  

[uhn-chahr-terd] / ʌnˈtʃɑr tərd /

adjective

1. without a charter.

2. without regulation; lawless.

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unchartered British  

/ ʌnˈtʃɑːtəd /

adjective

1. not authorized by charter; unregulated

2. unauthorized, lawless, or irregular

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Usage

What’s the difference between unchartered and uncharted? 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. Uncharted means unexplored or unmapped, as in uncharted territory or uncharted waters.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 unchartered and uncharted 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 unchartered and uncharted.

Etymology

Origin of unchartered

First recorded in 1795–1805; un- ¹ + charter + -ed ²

Example Sentences

That is taking us into unchartered territory, but the scientists hope that the record of our planet's environmental history locked in the ice could give us some guidance.

From BBC

This is "unchartered territory", one source in the peers' camp told me.

From BBC

In answering them, the first thing to say is that we are in completely unchartered territory, so we should be wary of anyone who says they know how Beijing is likely to react.

From BBC

He may have had bigger, more individual problems around the club to deal with, but in terms of actually winning football matches, he is in unchartered territory.

From BBC

This is unchartered territory for Draper, whose previous best at a major was a fourth-round showing in New York last year.

From BBC