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.
Coast Guard officials rescued 37 people, suspected to be undocumented migrants, and brought them to the Coast Guard base in Long Beach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
That has long been understood to mean subject to the laws of the United States, which of course the children of temporary visitors and even undocumented immigrants are.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
Five West Texas sheriffs likewise wrote to federal officials saying advanced surveillance technology would be better suited to stopping undocumented migration in the rugged terrain.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The ban extends to fugitives, undocumented aliens, people dishonorably discharged from the military and people convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
It was because of this continuous stream of undocumented human souls that, a few months after our arrival, my mother warned me about the perils of a favourite habit of mine: begging for food.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
