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Glite Dictionary
unprescribed

unprescribed

1 7.7
Not officially ordered by a doctor or allowed by an authority
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌnprɪˈskrɪbd/
  • Specialized
: no recetado
  • He was concerned about the unprescribed supplements his friend was taking to enhance performance.

In Hamlet, the being of beings must be undefined, unprescribed, undeclared.

Examples

  • The patient was advised not to take any unprescribed medications without consulting their doctor first.

  • Take no unprescribed action.

    Blog text (21)

  • In addition to marijuana, the use of unprescribed psychoactive medicaments (tranquilizers or sedatives) was also rather common.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Wilens reported that those who were treated with methylphenidate were less likely to abuse drugs, including prescribed or unprescribed stimulants, during treatment and throughout youth and adolescence.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The evaluation of previous drug use included the following substances: tobacco, alcohol, crack, powder cocaine, heroin, unprescribed opiates, methamphetamine, amphetamine, hallucinogens, marijuana, ecstasy, and ketamine.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Using unprescribed drugs can lead to serious health risks and complications.

Synonyms

over-the-counter
vsunprescribed
35 3.2

Medicine you can buy without a doctor's prescription

highlights missing official approval rather than simple purchase rules
over the counter
vsunprescribed
  • Specialized
29 2.7

Medicine you can buy without a doctor's prescription

concerns lack of formal approval or recommendation, not sales method
OTC
vsunprescribed
  • Specialized
5 3.9

Medicines you can buy without a doctor's prescription

focuses on lacking formal approval or recommendation by authorities
nonprescription
vsunprescribed
1 3.8

A medicine you can buy without seeing a doctor

is about absence of official approval rather than sales availability
nonprescribed
vsunprescribed
1 6.8

Not officially approved by a doctor

is the general idea of lacking official approval or recommendation
unendorsed
vsunprescribed
1 6.0

Not officially approved by an authority or group

is specifically about missing official order or medical permission

Antonyms

authorized
123 3.6

Having official permission to do something

prescribed
  • Formal
15 4.4

An official rule or authority sets what must be done

How Prescribed

prescribed
  • Formal
15 4.4
authorized
123 3.6
unprescribed
  • Specialized
1 7.7
unauthorized
  • US
106 4.5

Surface Forms

unprescribed positive

Morphology

unprescribed = prescribed (transparent) = un + prescribe + ed

A straightforward negative prefix 'un-' added to the adjective 'prescribed' yields 'not prescribed', so the meaning is directly inferable.

Etymology

Unprescribed is made of un- 'not' and prescribe, which means 'to write an order', as in a prescription a doctor writes. So unprescribed describes something not officially ordered or approved, like medicine a doctor did not prescribe, an unplanned stop, or an unexpected remark.