Unconfirmed

/ˌʌnkənˈfɜːrmd/

adjectivemediumCommonGeneral

Definitions

1

Not officially or finally confirmed; not verified as true or accurate; uncertain.

/ˌʌnkənˈfɜːrmd/

adjectiveneutralmedium
General

Not yet proven or verified

The police released an unconfirmed report about the suspect.

💡 Simply: Imagine you hear a rumor about your friend having a secret. But you haven't talked to your friend about it, so it's *unconfirmed* information. You can't know for sure.

👶 For kids: It means something is not yet proven to be true.

More Examples

2

There were unconfirmed reports of a fire in the building.

3

The data from the survey is still unconfirmed and requires further analysis.

How It's Used

Journalism

"The news report contained unconfirmed information about the company's financial status."

Science

"Scientists are working to verify the unconfirmed findings of the initial study."

From 'un-' (not) + 'confirmed'. 'Confirm' comes from the Latin 'confirmare', meaning 'to strengthen, establish'.

The use of 'unconfirmed' in English has grown with the spread of news media and the importance of verifying information.

Memory tip

Think of an *unconfirmed* reservation at a hotel – you aren't sure if you actually have a room yet!

Word Origin

Root: firmare

unconfimedunconfrimedunconfurmed

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written