undocumented
Americanadjective
-
lacking documentation or authentication.
-
lacking proper immigration or working papers: undocumented immigrants.
an undocumented worker;
undocumented immigrants.
Sensitive Note
See illegal alien.
Etymology
Origin of undocumented
First recorded in 1880–85; un- 1 + documented ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does undocumented compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When something is undocumented, it's not written down or recorded. When a person is undocumented. they don't have the proper records or identification that the law requires. These days in the U.S., you're very likely to come across this word in the context of immigration. When you hear about someone who's an undocumented worker or an undocumented immigrant, it means that they were born in another country, moved to the U.S. at some point, and don't currently have the legal documentation they need to work, attend school, or otherwise live freely and openly.
Vocabulary lists containing undocumented
The Circuit
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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.
Above all, they mean Spain's controversial move to allow hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants apply for residence and work permits and "regularise" their status.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Those who crossed the border illegally or who are undocumented can apply after being placed into removal proceedings, where they make their case to an immigration judge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Many words are now taboo, and there’s an entire new anxiety-inducing vocabulary: unhoused, undocumented, unequal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Demonstrations, initially low-key in the main, began last year when undocumented foreign nationals were blocked from accessing clinics and hospitals.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
I've heard people on television talking about what should happen to undocumented people, but I never thought they were talking about my mother.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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.
