uncooked
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of uncooked
Explanation
Anything that's uncooked is raw, like an uncooked tomato eaten right off the vine in the garden or the bite of uncooked cookie dough you sneak from the mixing bowl. Use the adjective uncooked to describe any food that hasn't been heated at all — not in an oven, a microwave, or on the backyard grill. It's particularly common to describe food as uncooked if it's actually meant to be cooked. Don't eat that uncooked chicken, and don't feed it to your dog — it's not safe for you or Fluffy!
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 fast-casual salad chain on Thursday cut its outlook for the year, as the U.S.’s largest-ever cyclospora outbreak keeps diners away from lettuce and other uncooked leafy greens.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
Experts also advise people avoid certain foods such as fresh uncooked berries and herbs, unpeeled fruit and salad items.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
If you’re really worried, skip uncooked produce like salad mixes, berries, basil, and snap peas for the time being.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
They sent me home with a football-size bag of uncooked couscous, which I occasionally pulled out to prepare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
But it was—the skin of Haiyi’s face was even and unblemished, and a puddle of uncooked rice lay at her feet.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
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.
