Unratified

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not formally approved or confirmed by an authoritative body in a legal context
2. lacking official acceptance and validation in procedures or agreements
3. describing something that has not received the required endorsements or signatures for legitimacy

Etymology: "Unratified" is simply the English prefix "un-", meaning "not", attached to "ratified," the past participle of "ratify." The verb "ratify" comes from Latin "ratificare," built from "ratus" (fixed, settled, reckoned) and "facere" (to make), so to ratify is literally to make something fixed or valid. Adding "un-" reverses that: an unratified treaty or agreement has not yet been made formally binding. The prefix is an ordinary English formation, which is why the word needs no coinage story of its own. Its usefulness lies in diplomacy and law, where a document can be signed and yet remain without force until the relevant body approves it.

Synonyms: invalid, unapproved, disallowed, unconfirmed, unauthorized

Antonyms: ratified, approved, confirmed, authorized, validated