unincorporated

American  

[uhn-in-kawr-puh-rey-tid] / ˌʌn ɪnˈkɔr pəˌreɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. not chartered as a corporation; lacking the powers and immunities of a corporate enterprise.

   an unincorporated business.

2. 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.

3. 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.

---

unincorporated British  

/ ˌʌnɪnˈkɔːpəˌreɪtɪd /

adjective

1. law lacking corporate status

2. 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."

Example Sentences

Institute is an unincorporated area just northwest of Charleston, W.Va. along the Kanawha River.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

The outbreaks occurred in central Los Angeles, Santa Monica and the unincorporated neighborhood of Willowbrook near Compton, according to public health officials.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

That’s thrown uncertainty into officials’ goal of eventually bringing the approach to their whole service area, spanning 36 cities and unincorporated communities.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

Upon exiting the 14 freeway to Bloom Ranch in Acton, a small unincorporated community on the northeastern edge of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 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