unauthorisedly

Unauthorisedly is an adverb describing an action performed without official permission or authorization. It is primarily used in British English, where the corresponding adjective is unauthorised. In American English, the preferred form is unauthorizedly or, more often, without authorization.

The term is common in formal or technical writing, including legal, compliance, policy, and information-security contexts. It qualifies verbs such as access, use, reproduce, disclose, or publish, indicating that the action was taken without proper approval or mandate. For example, one might say that data was accessed unauthorisedly or materials were distributed unauthorisedly.

Etymology and usage notes: unauthorisedly derives from unauthorised (un- prefix + authorised) plus the adverbial suffix -ly. The British spelling unauthorised reflects the standard spelling of authorised in many Commonwealth varieties, while the American form would typically be unauthorized and the adverbial form unauthorizedly or simply without authorization.

Implications and nuance: actions described as unauthorisedly may breach organizational policy, contractual terms, or legal restrictions, and in many jurisdictions such actions can carry legal penalties or civil liability. However, unauthorised does not automatically imply illegality in every context; it primarily signals lack of permission or formal authorization.

See also: unauthorized access, breach of policy, data protection, IT security, consent and authorization.