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

Among the prohibitions enacted by the California Legislature are those specifically relating to casino-style games (such as roulette, blackjack, and any banking game played with cards or dice), slot machines, and unlicensed games of chance. —Daniel Wallach, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

Instead, state investigators said Slayton used unlicensed laborers, improperly removed and dumped the cancer-causing insulator and failed to complete the project, leaving the property unsafe. —Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2025

In that film, which made a splash in Venice, a middle-aged man returns from Russia to the Golan Heights to work as an unlicensed doctor. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025

In places like New York, unlicensed dispensaries have caused problems, creating competition for legal cannabis businesses. —Matt Rozo, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unlicensed

• licenced
• licensed

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)