English Reference
Adjective

unsecured

adj.
C1 Advanced US /ˌənsikˈjʊɹd/ UK /ʌnsɪkjˈɔːd/ un·se·cured

adj.describes a loan or debt that is not protected by an asset like a house or car. If you cannot pay the money back, the lender has no specific property to take from you.

adj.referring to a loan or debt that is not backed by collateral. Often used in financial contexts to describe credit that relies solely on the borrower's creditworthiness.


SIMPLE

Credit cards are a common type of unsecured debt.

CONTEXTUAL

Because the loan was unsecured, the bank charged a much higher interest rate to cover the increased risk.

COMPLEX

The company's balance sheet showed a significant amount of unsecured liabilities, making it vulnerable to a sudden downgrade in its credit rating by major agencies.

Usage

Typically used attributively before nouns like 'loan', 'debt', or 'credit'.

Rahm topped the list of unsecured creditors, being owed $7.5m (£5.5m) in Q3 of this year, while the next four spots were filled by DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Adrian Meronk.

BBC News· 9 Sept 2026
This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated