What does unlabeled mean?
Unlabeled describes something that has no label, tag, name, or assigned category. It is especially common when referring to containers, specimens, records, or digital items whose identifying information has not yet been added. In data science and machine learning, unlabeled data consists of examples for which the researchers have not supplied ground-truth answers or category annotations; such data may still be used for unsupervised learning or later annotation. The related verb unlabel means to remove or withhold a label or designation. Unlabeled can occasionally suggest anonymity or lack of recognition, but its central meaning is simply the absence of a label rather than a deliberate concealment of identity. The word is useful because it distinguishes merely unnamed or untagged material from items that have been formally identified, classified, or marked. Its spelling varies between regions: unlabeled is standard in American English, while unlabelled is the usual British form.
Having no label, tag, name, category, or identifying designation.
"The unlabeled containers were arranged according to size rather than contents."
In machine learning, unlabeled data lacks supplied category labels or ground-truth annotations.
To remove, withhold, or leave without a label or designation.
"The researcher unlabeled the samples before giving them to the annotation team."
This use is less common than the adjective and is especially associated with data-management and labeling workflows.
No tag, no target: unlabeled is the word for anything a system has not yet named, classified, or learned to recognize.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unlabeled come from?
Unlabeled was formed in English by combining the negative prefix un- with labeled, the past-participle and adjectival form of label. The construction follows the regular English pattern of negating a marked or designated state. Unlabeled and unlabelled arose as parallel spelling forms corresponding chiefly to American and British orthographic conventions; they are not distinct words and do not differ in meaning.
Related word forms
How unlabeled is actually used
The word is neutral in ordinary use and common in scientific, technical, and administrative contexts. American spelling is generally unlabeled, while British spelling is commonly unlabelled; both are widely understood in both varieties of English.
Easily confused with unlabeled
Unlabelled is the British spelling variant of unlabeled and has the same meaning as the American spelling.