Unchecked

Unchecked is an adjective describing something that has not been checked, verified, tested, or regulated. It can refer to processes, systems, or conditions that proceed without formal oversight or constraints.

In computing, unchecked has specific technical uses. In languages such as Java, an unchecked exception is a type of error that the compiler does not require a method to declare or catch, typically signaling a programming error or a system failure (for example, NullPointerException). They contrast with checked exceptions, which must be declared or handled. Unchecked casts or conversions occur when the compiler cannot guarantee type safety at compile time, potentially leading to a runtime ClassCastException.

In risk, governance, and policy discourse, unchecked describes actions or phenomena that are not bounded by rules, safeguards, or monitoring. Examples include unchecked power, unchecked growth, or unchecked inflation, where a lack of oversight can allow adverse effects to compound.

In summary, unchecked is a versatile term whose meaning depends on context, ranging from general description of unverified conditions to formal programming concepts about exception handling and type safety.