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unlabeled

B2
adjective

Pronunciation

UK

  • /ʌnlˈeɪbəld/

US

  • /ənˈleɪbəld/

Description

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.

Examples

  1. 1

    Food containers

    I found two unlabeled bottles in the fridge, and I had no idea which one was milk.

  2. 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. 3

    Lab samples

    Several samples arrived at the lab unlabeled, so the team couldn't use them.

  4. 4

    Museum archive

    The museum archive includes hundreds of unlabeled photographs from the 1940s.

  5. 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