unattributed
- adjective
- /ˌʌnəˈtrɪbjʊtɪd/
- And I think that that kind of unattributed report... at a time like this is counterproductive.
And then I guess Elon Musk stole her meme and tweeted it unattributed.
- And then I guess Elon Musk stole her meme and tweeted it unattributed.
Examples
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There is a certain amount of obvious irony to the revelation that Chris Anderson's book Free contains significant unattributed copying from Wikipedia.
Blog text (5) -
To convey a sense of these critical interventions, here are some unattributed comments made in response to a pre-circulated first draft of the report.
Academic text (2007) -
As the unattributed quote goes, if you are going to kill the king, kill the king.
Blog text (11) -
Otherwise unattributed quotations from these individuals are taken from the interviews.
Academic text (2011) -
All unattributed photos, videos, and audio are original to this blog, and all rights are reserved.
Blog text (17) -
I really disliked the lack of continuity, and I really disliked the unattributed commentary.
Blog text (19) -
But the average paper across the years was a paraphrased or unattributed direct lifting of the introductory narrative from the textbook.
Academic text (2003) -
There are also several unattributed specimens in university collections in Utrecht and Groningen which may have been by Ruysch, but are more likely copies by his students.
Academic text (1996) -
Also, media sources should not legitimize anonymous political comments by publishing unattributed opinions on editorial pages, blogs, or airing them on call-in shows, etc.
Blog text (24) -
The article included several unattributed claims that lacked credible sources.
Synonyms
Not having a named or known source of information
Not written or made by any known person
Not given a source or reference for information
Having no known cause or beginning
Not possible to say who or what it came from
Cannot be traced to any one cause or person
Not officially counted toward a course or degree
A text that gives no sources or citations to check information
How Attributed
Surface Forms
Morphology
unattributed = attributed (transparent) = un + attribute + ed
The productive negation prefix 'un-' attached to the adjectival past participle 'attributed' yields the straightforward negated meaning 'not attributed'.
Etymology
The word unattributed starts with un-, meaning 'not', and the part attribute comes from a word that meant 'to give' or 'to name who something belongs to'. So, something unattributed has not been 'given' an author's name or clear source, which is why it means 'having no known or stated source'.