unchartered

[ uhn-chahr-terd ]

adjective

1. without a charter.
2. without regulation; lawless.

unchartered

/ ʌnˈtʃɑːtəd /

adjective

1. not authorized by charter; unregulated
2. unauthorized, lawless, or irregular

Usage

Care should be taken not to use unchartered where uncharted is meant: uncharted (not unchartered ) territory

Word History and Origins

Origin of unchartered¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; un- ¹ + charter + -ed ²

Example Sentences

This is unchartered territory for Draper, whose previous best at a major was a fourth-round showing in New York last year.

From BBC

But a national coalition government of some sort is a real possibility as a result of the ANC’s declining support and would be unchartered waters for South Africa.

From Seattle Times

The second told me I was in "unchartered territory" in England and Wales.

From BBC

An English cricket team struggling against spin during a Test match in India is not unchartered territory.

From BBC

"We are truly in unchartered territory now," she said.

From BBC

Unchartered Vs. Uncharted

What’s the difference between unchartered and uncharted?

Unchartered means not having (or not done under) a charter or some other kind of official authorization, as in an unchartered flight. It’s sometimes used to mean unauthorized or lawless, as in unchartered activity. Uncharted means unexplored or unmapped, as in uncharted territory or uncharted waters.

The chart in uncharted refers to a map, but charted is not commonly used as an adjective—most people would say mapped. In contrast, both unchartered and chartered (meaning having a charter or officially authorized) are used.

The two words are often used in much different contexts, but there are some cases where both could apply. For example, a remote parcel of land may be both uncharted (unmapped) and unchartered (not bound by any official charters or laws).

Here’s an example of unchartered and uncharted used correctly in a sentence.

Example: The movie is an adventure about a group of teens who take a secret, unchartered flight to explore an uncharted island. 

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between unchartered and uncharted.

Quiz yourself on unchartered vs. uncharted!

Should unchartered or uncharted be used in the following sentence?

This is _____ territory—it can’t be found on any map.