Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

unsecured loan

American  
[uhn-si-kyoord lohn] / ˌʌn sɪˈkjʊərd ˈloʊn /

noun

Finance.
  1. a loan that is supported only by the borrower’s creditworthiness and income and does not require the borrower to put up collateral, as a home or vehicle, to back up the loan. A personal loan made to someone is usually an unsecured loan.


Etymology

Origin of unsecured loan

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

See Examples For:

It maintained the secured and unsecured loan rates at 2.375% and 4.250%, respectively.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 18, 2025

Another unsecured loan for $600 million was granted at such a low interest rate that it makes sense for Alaska to keep it on the books.

From Seattle Times Mar. 29, 2024

Subject to approval by the FCA in the next fortnight, the second tranche of a personal, unsecured loan of £1m from Graves will be advanced to the club.

From BBC Feb. 2, 2024

A home improvement loan is an unsecured loan provided by a lender that would allow you to finance major repairs and pay it back on an installment plan.

From Slate Jul. 2, 2022

This unsecured loan was one of the very things, I doubt not, that helped to inspire general confidence.

From The Americanism of Washington by Van Dyke, Henry

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training