What does uncorrected mean?
Uncorrected is an adjective meaning that errors, flaws, or inaccuracies have not been fixed. It can describe a draft, proof, manuscript, calculation, transcript, or set of data that remains in its original form. The word is common in publishing, editing, proofreading, academic work, and technical documentation, where it identifies material that still needs revision or verification. An uncorrected proof, for example, contains errors that have not yet been amended. The term can also refer to a deliberately preserved version, as in an uncorrected quotation, in which the original wording or imperfections are intentionally retained. Compared with incorrect, uncorrected focuses on the absence of a correction rather than simply on the presence of an error. Its connotation is generally neutral, although in formal or quality-control contexts it may suggest insufficient checking or a failure to complete the revision process.
adjectiveNot corrected; left unchanged without errors being amended or an original form being improved.
- Having errors, flaws, or inaccuracies that have not been corrected.
"The publisher sent an uncorrected manuscript back to the author for revision."
"The report contains several uncorrected figures from the previous quarter."
"She quoted the author from an uncorrected draft of the speech."
An uncorrected proof preserves every error for the next person to catch.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does uncorrected come from?
Uncorrected was formed in English by combining the prefix un- with correct and the participial ending -ed. The word correct comes through Middle English and Old French from Latin corrigere, a compound of com- and regere, meaning to make straight or put right. The prefix un- has long been used in English to form negative adjectives, and uncorrected follows that established pattern.
How uncorrected is actually used
Neutral to formal in register. It is especially common in publishing, editing, proofreading, and technical writing, and it can suggest that errors remain or that a text has deliberately been left in its original form.
Easily confused with uncorrected
Incorrect describes something that is wrong, whereas uncorrected describes something whose errors have not been fixed.
Corrected means that errors have been amended, while uncorrected means that they remain unchanged.