unlicensed

adjective

un·​li·​censed ˌən-ˈlī-sᵊn(t)st 

: not licensed: such as

a

: not authorized or permitted by a license

unlicensed merchandise

an unlicensed firearm

the unlicensed reproduction of books

b

: operating without a license

unlicensed vendors

an unlicensed electrician

unlicensed brokers

unlicensed drivers

Examples of unlicensed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That project was thrown into the spotlight seven years ago after authorities discovered that Job Torres Hernandez, an unlicensed subcontractor, was holding immigrant workers in a warehouse and forcing them to work without pay. —Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

New York, for example, took more than a year to license a single seller, which sent many weed-seekers right to unlicensed sellers instead. —Lavanya Ramanathan, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024

During the twentieth century, decades of looting by divers and unlicensed salvage companies stripped some seabeds clean. —Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024

Hiring unlicensed persons to provide mental health for our students in our schools places not only the district in legal jeopardy but also places our students at risk for improper practices. —Madeleine Parrish, The Arizona Republic, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

unlicensed

adjective

un·​li·​censed

variants or chiefly British unlicenced

-ˈlīs-ᵊn(t)st

: not licensed

especially, of a drug : not approved for use by the appropriate regulating authority (as the Food and Drug Administration in the United States)