unchartered

[ uhn-chahr-terd ]

/ ʌnˈtʃɑr tərd /

adjective

without a charter.

without regulation; lawless.

Nearby words

uncharacteristic, uncharge, uncharged, uncharitable, uncharted, unchartered, unchaste, unchastely, unchecked, unchic, unchivalrous

Origin of unchartered

First recorded in 1795–1805; un-¹ + charter + -ed²

Can be confuseduncharted unchartered

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unchartered

I was an unchartered ship, in which no living person had an interest, drifting on the wide waste of waters.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XI.--April, 1851--Vol. II.|Various
It was well to be cautious in regard to unchartered plantations in those days of greedy fishermen.
Brothers of Peril|Theodore Goodridge Roberts
On the contrary, the unchartered guilds were the moat numerous and influential.
The Rise of the Dutch Republic, Volume I.(of III) 1555-66|John Lothrop Motley
Then, at the instigation of the favored ones, the politicians passed a law to suppress all unchartered banks.
The Spirit of American Government|J. Allen Smith

His brain is staggered by an unchartered immensity in which he has no portion, which he can only watch.
Murder Point|Coningsby Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for unchartered

unchartered

/ (ʌnˈtʃɑːtəd) /

adjective

not authorized by charter; unregulated

unauthorized, lawless, or irregular

usage

Care should be taken not to use unchartered where uncharted is meant: uncharted (not unchartered) territory

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unchartered

unchartered

adj.

1805, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of charter.