non-elected

IPA/ˌnɒn.ɪˈlek.tɪd/
IPA/ˌnɑːn.ɪˈlek.tɪd/

non-elected — adjective

1. holding a public office without being chosen by voters; describes a job or role

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

holding a public office without being chosen by voters; describes a job or role that is filled by appointment rather than by election

Example

Meera was appointed to the board as a non-elected adviser on health policy.

non-elected + adviser: describes an appointed position

The governor's non-elected staff make most of the day-to-day budget decisions.

Common collocations
  • non-elected official
  • non-elected member
  • non-elected position
  • non-elected body
  • non-elected representative
Synonyms
  • unelected

    essentially the same meaning; slightly more common in British English

  • appointed

    narrower — means specifically chosen by a person or group in authority, not just 'not elected'

Antonyms

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Non-elected is the broadest term for any official position not filled by public vote. Unelected means exactly the same thing and the two are often interchangeable, though unelected appears more often in British news writing. Appointed is narrower: it means someone was specifically chosen for the role by a person or committee with the power to do so — all appointed officials are non-elected, but not all non-elected officials are appointed (some inherit positions, for example). Nominated sits one step earlier in the process: a person is put forward as a candidate (nominated) but may still need to win a vote to take office. For instance, a non-elected cabinet secretary was appointed by the prime minister, while a nominated candidate still faces an election.

unelected ↗appointed ↗nominated ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • non-elected head of state
  • non-elected House of Lords

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed from the prefix non- (from Latin non, meaning 'not') combined with elected, the past participle of elect. Elect comes from Latin eligere, meaning 'to pick out or choose'. The compound non-elected emerged in English political writing during the nineteenth century as a way to describe officials and bodies that held authority without facing a popular vote.

First known use

1645

1645, in the meaning defined above