unidentified
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
If something is unidentified, it's mysterious or unknown, whether it's an unidentified flying object or an unidentified fruit that turns up in your grocery cart. Being unidentified means having an unknown identity, from a Latin root meaning "sameness." If you can't determine the identity of a person, like the victim of a crime or a new student at school, they're unidentified. And if your dog brings something disgusting inside, but you can't figure out what on earth it is, just call it an unidentified object and toss it in the garbage!
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.
His sentencing hearing was told police found unidentified ashes in mouldy boxes at the Hessle Road premises, as well as family photographs on the "extremely dirty" floor, among other disturbing discoveries.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
A Norwegian tanker was also hit by an explosion caused by an unidentified device off the Omani coast early Tuesday, the crisis response company MTI Network said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Minutes later, officials radioed that a caller who reached 911—an unidentified woman who said she wasn’t in the home and was driving from Baltimore to the address—had told dispatchers his front door was unlocked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
In October, authorities established a cemetery in the city of Deir al Balah to bury unidentified bodies recovered from around the enclave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Though the heron is merely being observed by an unidentified birdwatcher at this point in the passage, the passive voice keeps it in the reader’s spotlight of attention.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
