undocumented

American  

[uhn-dok-yuh-men-tid] / ʌnˈdɒk jəˌmɛn tɪd /

adjective

1. lacking documentation or authentication.

2. lacking proper immigration or working papers: undocumented immigrants.

   an undocumented worker;

   undocumented immigrants.

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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:

• undocumented vs. illegal

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.

Example Sentences

Okey-Uche said she did not have the figures, but delays in processing applications could lead to some people ending up as undocumented migrants.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

Additionally, 77% of Latino voters voiced opposition to the idea of a federal ban on letting undocumented children attend public schools.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

But she has also clashed with producers and correspondents over the handling of stories such as Alfonsi’s report on the Trump administration’s use of harsh El Salvador prisons to hold undocumented Venezuelan migrants.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

A hand-written Spanish-language letter published this week by Cosecha, a group advocating for undocumented immigrants, and signed by 300 detainees, said that they are "detained without justification," lack proper medical care and get "poor food."

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

While our friends were in on our address fraud, my sister and I preferred not to advertise our undocumented immigrant status to them.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi