unclassified
Americanadjective
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not assigned to a class or category; not arranged according to characteristics.
Reported instances fall into two main types, with a few unclassified anomalies.
-
(of data, documents, etc.) not belonging to a category that is restricted for reasons of security; not secret.
unclassified plans; unclassified information.
adjective
-
not arranged in any specific order or grouping
-
(of information) not possessing a security classification
-
(of football results) not arranged in any special order or in divisions
Etymology
Origin of unclassified
First recorded in 1860–65; un- 1 + classified
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.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law in November 2025 and required the DOJ to release all unclassified materials related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
From Salon • Feb. 24, 2026
They have published a Nuclear Posture Review, in classified and unclassified forms, that spelled out the policy.
From Slate • Feb. 3, 2026
In an unclassified annual report to Congress from December, the Defense Department cited Cuba as the only nation in the Americas where China may have considered putting a military base.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026
Operated by California and Colorado National Guard troops, FireGuard uses Department of Defense satellites to detect and track wildfires, distributing unclassified information among firefighting networks, according to the National Guard.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025
“Too bad we’re going to be stuck on Step Two forever. It’s not like they’ll suddenly decide to make the VanQuish files unclassified just for us.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
