unlabeled
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /ʌnlˈeɪbəld/
US
- /ənˈleɪbəld/
Description
- without a label
- without a tag
- not marked
- not identified by name
- left unnamed
Something that is unlabeled has no tag, sticker, name, or note telling you what it is. Imagine a jar in your pantry with no sticker. It could be pickles, or it could be jam; you just do not know. This idea is common with physical objects, but it can also be used for things like feelings or information. An unlabeled emotion is a feeling you have not clearly named yet. Sometimes things are left unlabeled on purpose, like a mysterious package or a secret ingredient.
Think of an artist sending out paintings without titles; those would be unlabeled artworks. Or picture a box of old photographs with no names written on them. The context often tells you why something is unlabeled: carelessness, secrecy, or simply not having the chance to name it.
The word "unlabeled" describes something that does not have a label, name, or identifying mark attached to it. This can be literal, like an "unlabeled box" in your attic filled with forgotten treasures, or an "unlabeled bottle" of homemade sauce when you have lost track of the ingredients. It simply means there is no clear sign of what something is, what is inside it, or what it is for.
However, "unlabeled" goes beyond physical objects. We can also use it for things that have not been clearly named or identified. An "unlabeled fear" is a feeling of anxiety that you cannot clearly name. In a chart, map, or image, an "unlabeled" part is one that has no written name or description.
In some contexts, things are intentionally left unlabeled. A scientist might use "unlabeled samples" in a blind test to avoid bias. An artist may present work without titles so viewers can form their own interpretations without being guided by a name. A package with no return name or description could also be described as unlabeled.
The absence of a label can create curiosity, mystery, or even anxiety. It may force us to look more closely, make guesses, or accept that something has not yet been clearly identified. Whether it is a jar in your pantry, a photograph with no names, or a feeling you cannot quite describe, "unlabeled" suggests that clear identification is missing.
Examples
- 1
Food containers
I found two unlabeled bottles in the fridge, and I had no idea which one was milk.
- 2
Moving boxes
Please don't leave the moving boxes unlabeled, or we'll never find the kitchen stuff.
Pattern
leave + object + unlabeled
not put a name or description on it
- 3
Lab samples
Several samples arrived at the lab unlabeled, so the team couldn't use them.
- 4
Museum archive
The museum archive includes hundreds of unlabeled photographs from the 1940s.
- 5
Privacy protection
The survey forms were kept unlabeled to protect the students' privacy.
Phrase
kept unlabeled
intentionally left without names or identifying details
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- unlabeledadjective