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.
Reports of unidentified Prionus larvae damaging blueberry roots date back to 2010, but researchers had struggled to determine which species was responsible.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
The agent yells at the unidentified bystander and leaves him on the sidewalk while another agent retrieves the can from the street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
The firm said $3bn of its stolen digital assets had been secured - but many were still in the hands of unidentified hackers.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Edgar Allan Poe lived a while in Baltimore; his picture, also captured by an unidentified daguerreotypist, shows the writer of “The Raven” looking characteristically glum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
