# uninhabited

/ˌənɪnˈhæbətɪd/ (US) · /ˌʌnɪnhˈæbɪtɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/uninhabited
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. no people living there

adjective · CEFR B2

a place where no people live.

For teachers: lacking human inhabitants or permanent residents.

- The explorers discovered a small, uninhabited island in the middle of the ocean.
- Satellite imagery confirmed that the mountainous region remained entirely uninhabited, as the harsh climate made permanent settlement impossible.

Usage: Usually functions as a non-gradable adjective; a place is either inhabited or it is not.

Teaching tip: Learners often confuse this with 'uninhabitable'. 'Uninhabited' means no one lives there now, while 'uninhabitable' means no one *can* live there because it is too dangerous or broken.

## Examples

- The ship landed on a small, uninhabited island.
- Researchers found that the valley had remained uninhabited for centuries due to its extreme weather and lack of water.
- While the archipelago contains dozens of islands, the vast majority remain uninhabited, serving instead as protected sanctuaries for migratory seabirds and rare marine life.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.