adjective [ADJECTIVE after verb, ADJECTIVE noun, verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If something harmful or undesirable is left unchecked, nobody controls it or prevents it from growing or developing.
If left unchecked, weeds will flourish.
...a world in which brutality and lawlessness are allowed to go unchecked.
This provision gives the president total and unchecked power.
Synonyms: uncontrolled, out of control, rampant, out of hand More Synonyms of unchecked
unchecked in British English
(ʌnˈtʃɛkt)
adjective
1.
not prevented from continuing or growing
unchecked population growth
2.
not examined or inspected
adverb
3.
without being stopped or hindered
the virus could spread unchecked
4.
without being examined or inspected
our luggage passed unchecked through customs
Examples of 'unchecked' in a sentence
unchecked
Do not let errors go unchecked.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
But at the heart of it lies the arrogance of power unchecked.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The onward march of inequality continues unchecked.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The move is unlikely to affect major crime investigations but minor offences could go unchecked.
The Sun (2008)
And we know too much about economic health to allow such combinations to flourish unchecked.
Kantrow, Alan M. The Constraints of Corporate Tradition (1987)
Our poor run of form is not something we could allow to continue unchecked.
The Sun (2008)
Nor does it mean you let rudeness go unchecked.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Must referees take a harder line or should the excitement continue unchecked?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It is also the reason that short pitched bowling should not be allowed to go on unchecked.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Many of the websites continue to trade unchecked.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But not if the tide goes unchecked.
The Sun (2006)
But left unchecked, the beautiful game could turn ugly.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Under our system, vast unchecked power resides with the executive.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The extreme attitudes of the Scottish male were allowed to flourish unchecked.
Coyle, Andrew & Stern, Vivien The Prisons We Deserve (1994)
This Government is at least alive to the profligacy that went unchecked under the last.
The Sun (2013)
According to the campaigners, the scant resources mean crooks can continue unchecked.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It's certainly a sign of unreasonable jealousy which will lead to misery if it is left unchecked.
The Sun (2010)
With little official information to oppose the flood of speculation and bad reporting, guesswork and gossip flourished unchecked.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But I certainly do hope it signals the beginning of the end of unchecked white male power.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This brings its own dangers, notably the risk of the unwanted, unchecked growth of tissue that we call cancer.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These are larger than most aphids and, left unchecked, will rapidly form colonies that cause the plant to wilt.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The political literature of the nineteenth century was full of references to class, and in particular nervously raised the possibility of unchecked working-class political power.
Roper, Jon Democracy and its Critics - Anglo-American democratic thought in the nineteenth century (1989)
It was determined by the fact that wooden ships were liable to two forms of rot, which, if left unchecked could destroy the fleet.
French, David The British way in Warfare - 1688-2000 (1990)
In other languages
unchecked
British English: unchecked ADJECTIVE
If something harmful or undesirable is left unchecked, nobody controls it or prevents it from growing or developing.
If left unchecked, weeds will flourish.
American English: unchecked
Brazilian Portuguese: sem cuidar
Chinese: 未受遏制的
European Spanish: sin controlar
French: sans contrôleN
German: unkontrolliert
Italian: incontrollato
Japanese: 抑制されない
Korean: 억제되지 않는
European Portuguese: sem cuidar
Latin American Spanish: sin controlar
(adjective)
Definition
not prevented from continuing or growing
Brutality and lawlessness are allowed to go unchecked.
Synonyms
uncontrolled
His uncontrolled behaviour disturbed the whole class.
out of control
rampant
Crime is rampant in the area.
out of hand
full-on (informal)
unbridled
a tale of lust and unbridled passion
riotous
unrestrained
There was unrestrained joy on the faces of the people.
running wild
undisciplined
a noisy and undisciplined group of students
untrammelled
ungoverned
uncurbed
Additional synonyms
in the sense of rampant
Definition
growing or spreading uncontrollably
Crime is rampant in the area.
Synonyms
unrestrained,
wild,
violent,
raging,
aggressive,
dominant,
excessive,
outrageous,
out of control,
rampaging,
out of hand,
uncontrollable,
flagrant,
unbridled,
vehement,
wanton,
riotous,
on the rampage,
ungovernable
in the sense of unbridled
Definition
(of feelings or behaviour) not restrained or controlled in any way
a tale of lust and unbridled passion
Synonyms
unrestrained,
uncontrolled,
unchecked,
violent,
excessive,
rampant,
unruly,
full-on (informal),
wanton,
riotous,
intemperate,
ungovernable,
unconstrained,
licentious,
ungoverned,
uncurbed
in the sense of undisciplined
Definition
behaving badly, with a lack of self-control
a noisy and undisciplined group of students
Synonyms
uncontrolled,
wild,
unruly,
wayward,
wilful,
unrestrained,
disobedient,
obstreperous
Synonyms of 'unchecked'
unchecked
Explore 'unchecked' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of unrestrained
Definition
not controlled or limited
There was unrestrained joy on the faces of the people.