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.
The Daily Telegraph leads with reports that RAF jets had two close encounters with unidentified drones earlier this year while they were completing training exercises over the North Sea.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Maritime Trade Operations separately reported Wednesday that two container ships were struck by unidentified projectiles while transiting the waterway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
They are collecting samples from the 230,000 unidentified graves as well as conducting DNA analysis on 18,000 samples of remains and setting up a genetic database of their next of kin.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
The protist belonged to a previously unidentified species, and its genetic instructions appeared to operate according to an unusual set of rules.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
At one point in the late afternoon an unidentified boy dashed onto the shooting field and retrieved a wounded pigeon.
From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli
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