unchecked

British  

/ ʌnˈtʃɛkt /

adjective

1. not prevented from continuing or growing

   unchecked population growth

2. not examined or inspected

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adverb

1. without being stopped or hindered

   the virus could spread unchecked

2. without being examined or inspected

   our luggage passed unchecked through customs

Explanation

If something isn't held back or restrained, it's unchecked, like the unchecked growth of the weeds in your neighbor's garden. Use unchecked to describe things that are increasing or growing, especially if they're unwanted. The unchecked sprawl of a city might result in the loss of animal habitats, and your class's unchecked chatter will eventually make it impossible for you to hear the teacher when he tries to get your attention. This word comes from the verb check, "to hold or control," the way you control your opponent's king in a game of chess by putting it in check.

Example Sentences

Unchecked technology was a “tremendous menace” that would remove all of our privacy, but McLuhan was a realist: He knew that we could not stop innovation.

From Slate • Jul. 28, 2025

Phoebe Clay is director of Unchecked UK, a collection of organisations that campaign for better consumer regulation.

From BBC • Jul. 29, 2024

"Unchecked growth isn't necessarily a good thing, however," says study co-author Stuart Pimm, the Doris Duke Professor of Conservation at Duke University in North Carolina.

From Science Daily • Jan. 5, 2024

Unchecked with ample fuel and oxygen, a fire will double in size every 60 seconds, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2023

Unchecked, they would result in an alarming form of nervous prostration.

From A Gentleman Vagabond and Some Others by Smith, Francis Hopkinson

Related Words

• rampant
• unbridled
• unhampered