unincorporated
Americanadjective
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not chartered as a corporation; lacking the powers and immunities of a corporate enterprise.
an unincorporated business.
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not chartered as a self-governing village or city; lacking the tax, police, and other powers conferred by the state on incorporated towns.
an unincorporated hamlet.
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not combined into a single body or unit; not made part of; not included.
Many unincorporated research notes are appended to the text of the book.
adjective
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law lacking corporate status
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not unified or included
Etymology
Origin of unincorporated
First recorded in 1705–15; un- 1 + incorporated
Explanation
If a company is unincorporated, it isn't formally or legally recognized. Your sidewalk lemonade stand, unlike Walmart or Costco, is unincorporated. The adjective unincorporated can be used for something that's not fully combined or mixed into a whole, like unincorporated baking soda in your pancake batter that you need to stir a bit more. But it usually describes a business that hasn't legally registered with the government so that it can be considered a corporation. Unincorporated derives from the Latin incorporare, "unite into one body," with the prefix un- meaning "not."
Vocabulary lists containing unincorporated
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 Wood fire was burning near Orland and Roth roads in an unincorporated portion of Perris, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
People born in the US territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, for example, get automatic citizenship, while those born in unincorporated American Samoa are not and are instead considered "non-citizen nationals".
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The motion also would launch a Small Business Interruption Fund to help impacted businesses in unincorporated parts of East L.A., as well as those affected by future emergencies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
In unincorporated Lakeside, average home values have more than doubled to about $865,000 since 2018, according to Zillow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
The actual city of Alpharetta covers only twenty-three square miles in the northern half of Fulton County, but many subdivisions in adjoining unincorporated areas, like Medlock Bridge, carry Alpharetta zip codes.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
