English Reference
Adverb

unofficially

adv.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ənəˈfɪʃəɫi/ UK /ʌnəfˈɪʃəlˌi/ un·of·fi·cial·ly

adv.without any official permission or without being made public. You use this when something is true or happening, but no one has officially announced it yet.

adv.without official recognition, authorization, or public announcement. Often used to describe a situation that is true in practice but not yet confirmed by an authority.


SIMPLE

The new manager is unofficially in charge today.

CONTEXTUAL

The two countries are unofficially working together on the peace treaty, though they have not signed any formal documents yet.

COMPLEX

While the official results have not been released, the candidate is unofficially leading the polls by a significant margin, much to the excitement of her supporters.

Unofficially dubbed "the Asian Spring", the expanding influence of these movements has spread from Iran, Mongolia and the Maldives to the Philippines and Timor-Leste.

BBC News· 23 Aug 2026

However, unofficially, there is a player who has competed for 20 (!) more clubs than Abreu – Jefferson Louis recorded 51 clubs in a 28-year career.

The Guardian· 12 Aug 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated