unconfirmed
Britishadjective
Explanation
Use the adjective unconfirmed to describe something that may or may not be true. If you've heard that there might be a pizza party at school tomorrow, but it hasn't been officially announced, it's just an unconfirmed rumor. You'll probably come across this word if you spend much a lot of time reading or listening to the news. Unconfirmed reports of a suspect running west down Main Street mean that there's been chatter about seeing this person, but no one can or establish the truth of the sighting. Unconfirmed things haven't been photographed or filmed, and they don't have an authority declaring them to be fact.
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.
What’s more, a deal has yet to be announced, raising questions over whether the unconfirmed report is simply that.
From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026
But today an unconfirmed Iranian state media report of a strike on an oil tanker reignited those worries and sent oil prices spiking.
From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026
Iran’s unconfirmed claim that it hit an American oil tanker with a missile added to the supply concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
This finding lends support to a long-standing but previously unconfirmed idea that asexual reproduction may offer advantages in extreme environments.
From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026
There were rumors that the Confederate General Hood had encountered Sherman and had cut the Army of the Tennessee to pieces, but they were unconfirmed rumors.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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.
