ENGLISH
REFERENCE

unsigned

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ənˈsaɪnd// UK //ʌnsˈaɪnd// un·signed Computing
Definition

adj. describing a document or piece of work that does not have a signature or a name on it.

adj. lacking a signature or formal identification of authorship. In computing, refers to software or code that has not been verified by a digital certificate.


SIMPLE

The bank rejected the unsigned check.

CONTEXTUAL

The operating system warned the user that installing unsigned drivers could lead to security vulnerabilities.

COMPLEX

Historians debated the origin of the unsigned manuscript, searching for stylistic clues that might link the text to a known 18th-century philosopher.

Origin

From un- + signed.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Usage

Often used attributively before a noun; in technical contexts, it can also describe a numeric variable that cannot represent negative values.

Related words

Last updated May 8, 2026