unidentified

USAGE SUMMARY

'unidentified' is a correct and usable word in written English.
You can use it when you want to describe something that cannot be identified or has not yet been identified. Example sentence: Authorities are still trying to identify the source of the mysterious sound, but for now it remains unidentified.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

One unidentified Barclays employee received a pay-off of £3m.

The Guardian - Business

A third unidentified person was also killed and at least 15 people injured.

The Guardian

"Once you are using servers that are not compatible with the rest of world and maintained by federal agencies, you are offering an unidentified number of our homegrown spies a chance to spy on you," he said.

The Guardian

The unidentified artwork belonged to a trove of some 1,400 works that German police discovered at Cornelius Gurlitt's home in the Munich borough of Schwabing two years ago.

The Guardian

Real Madrid have increased security measures around José Mourinho after a member of the coach's security team was stabbed with an unidentified weapon.

The Guardian - Sport

Eight people died at the funeral when unidentified gunmen opened fire on mourners.

The Guardian

Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said events were following the same pattern as in the Black Sea peninsula, where unidentified military forces took over government installations before the area was in effect annexed last month.

The Guardian

"This leave the possibility of an unidentified HIV-positive patient that has not been appropriately referred for specialist input," the letter says.

The Guardian

Mr Obiang has accused unidentified foreign powers and multinational companies of financing the plot.

The Guardian

As many as 30 mourners at a funeral ceremony were killed when an unidentified plane bombarded a village in Niger near the Nigerian border, local officials have said.

The Guardian

There is great beauty and dignity in them – two individuals who have been given some form of identity back, in contrast to Kamerić's missing persons whose body parts are still scattered, degraded, in unidentified graves.

The Guardian - Arts

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "unidentified" when the specific identity is genuinely unknown or irrelevant to the context. Avoid using it when the identity is known but being deliberately withheld, as this can be misleading.

Common error

Don't use "unidentified" when you simply mean something hasn't been named yet. "Unnamed" is more appropriate in such cases, while "unidentified" implies a failure or inability to establish identity.

Linguistic Context

The word "unidentified" functions primarily as an adjective, modifying nouns to indicate that their identity is unknown or has not been established. Ludwig AI confirms this with numerous examples where "unidentified" precedes nouns like "person", "artwork", and "weapon".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

44%

Formal & Business

28%

Science

28%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "unidentified" is a commonly used adjective to denote something whose identity is unknown. As Ludwig AI confirms, its grammatical role is straightforward, and it fits seamlessly into news reports, business documents, and scientific papers. While alternatives like "unknown" and "anonymous" exist, "unidentified" often provides the most neutral and direct way to indicate a lack of specific identity. When using "unidentified", ensure that the identity is truly unknown and not simply unnamed, to maintain clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

not identified

A passive construction directly mirroring the meaning of "unidentified".

unknown

Direct synonym, simply stating a lack of knowledge about the identity.

unnamed

Focuses on the absence of a specific name being assigned.

nameless

Emphasizes the lack of a name, often implying anonymity or obscurity.

unrecognized

Suggests a failure to recognize or acknowledge the identity.

undetermined

Highlights that the identity is yet to be established or decided.

unspecified

Indicates that the identity has not been explicitly stated or detailed.

anonymous

Implies that the identity is deliberately concealed or not known.

of unknown origin

Highlights the obscurity of the origin, implying the identity is also unknown.

of uncertain identity

Explicitly states that the identity is not definitively known.

FAQs

How to use "unidentified" in a sentence?

Use "unidentified" to describe something whose identity is not known or has not been established. For example, "The police are searching for the "unidentified suspect" in the robbery".

What can I say instead of "unidentified"?

You can use alternatives like "unknown", "unnamed", or "anonymous" depending on the specific context. /s/anonymous implies the identity is being deliberately concealed.

Which is correct, "unidentified object" or "unidentified flying object"?

Both are correct, but they have different meanings. "Unidentified object" refers to any object that cannot be identified, while "unidentified flying object" (UFO) specifically refers to an airborne object that cannot be identified.

What's the difference between "unidentified" and "unrecognized"?

"Unidentified" means the identity is not known. "Unrecognized" means the identity is known, but the thing/person is not acknowledged or recognised. For example, an "unidentified body" means nobody knows who it is, while an unrecognized genius is known but their genius isn't acknowledged.