Unclassification

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act or process of reversing or negating the classification of something
2. The state of being not classified or categorized in any specific way
3. An area of content or data that lacks a defined classification or system of organization

Etymology: "Unclassification" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-" attached to "classification," the noun for the act of sorting things into categories. The prefix reverses the sense, so the word names the undoing of a classification, such as removing a document's secret or security label or taking a species out of the group it was once placed in. Because it is built directly from two familiar parts, its meaning can be read straight off its structure. The "un-" prefix is one of English's most productive, and it attaches freely to many nouns and verbs, which is why new coinages like this one can appear without any special history behind them.

Synonyms: declassification, revelation, exposure, disclosure, unsealing

Antonyms: classification, secrecy, concealment, censorship, restriction