Let's start with "dispute," which traces back to the Latin disputare, which could mean "argue" but also just "examine, explain, or discuss." It breaks down into dis- ("apart, or separately") and putare ("to clean, to count, or to consider").

"Dispute" means "to argue, to disagree, to challenge, to gainsay." When you dispute something, or when you have a dispute with someone, you're arguing: starting a disagreement, pointing out how they're wrong.

Something disputed, then, is up for argument: people disagree about it.

And something undisputed is not up for argument: no one disagrees with it. In other words, an undisputed thing is so true and clear that everyone agrees on it.

For example, if someone is the undisputed winner, no one is disputing that someone else won. If a claim is undisputed, no one is questioning it or saying it's wrong. And if a king is undisputed, no one is saying that someone else actually deserves the crown.

Part of speech:

Adjective, as in "Pineapple: the undisputed princess of fruits."

Other forms: 

The adverb is "undisputedly," as in "Pineapple is undisputedly the princess of fruits." It sounds a little clunky to me.

how to use it:

Pick the common, formal word "undisputed" when you want to sound emphatic and authoritative. My only word of caution is that it can sound a little defensive; that is, to call something "undisputed" is almost to say, "And don't you dare dispute it."

You might say that that someone is an undisputed master or champion of some skill or sport, or the undisputed head, leader, lord, queen, commander, or owner of some place or group.

Or you might talk about undisputed facts, claims, or evidence, or the undisputed legitimacy of something. You could say that something is an undisputed masterpiece, or talk about the undisputed high point or highlight of some event.

examples:

"I was venturing to Las Vegas to assess the mood of a town that stands as America's undisputed champion of fun and risk."
   — Mike Seely, New York Times, 1 December 2017

"The evening's undisputed queen, Lupita Nyong'o, sailed in at 1 a.m., in a different gown than she wore onstage to collect her best supporting actress statuette."
  — Melena Ryzik, New York Times, 6 March 2014

has this page helped you understand "undisputed"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "undisputed" without saying "undeniable" or "irrefutable."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone or something) is the undisputed (king, queen, ruler, boss, leader, or champion) of (something)."

Example 1: "When I was a kid, TCBY was the undisputed king of frozen yogurt."

Example 2: "The popularity of her catchy ballad ['All I Want For Christmas is You'] is only partially responsible for the reason that Mariah Carey is the undisputed queen of Christmas. Has there ever been another celebrity so devoted to all things festive that they would... celebrate the most wonderful time of the year... during Halloween and a full month after Christmas ended?"
   — Cady Lang, Time, 3 December 2018

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "It's That Thing..."

We'll play with some highly slangy, reasonably wholesome terms, courtesy of Urban Dictionary.

I'll give you three terms, and you attempt to define them. Scroll down to see the correct definitions, and give yourself a point for each term that you defined either correctly or believably.

Try these today:

1. Yarling

2. Newmes (pronounced "NOO meeze")

3. Procrastibaking

review this word:

1. The precise opposite of UNDISPUTED is DISPUTED, meaning

A. LOST.
B. DEBATED.
C. ARGUMENTATIVE.

2. In The Lion King, although Scar dreams (and sings) of being "king undisputed," _____.

A. his hyena minions suffer from starvation
B. Simba returns to claim rightful kingship
C. he imprisons his political opponent Zazu

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. B From the game: Remember, even if you're wrong, give yourself a point for coming up with a believable definition! Here are the definitions that Urban Dictionary lists. 1. Yarling: "Putting a hidden 'R' underneath every syllable... to sound soulful. Examples of bands that regularly yarl in their vocals: Matchbox 20, Nickelback, Pearl Jam." 2. Newmes (pronounced "NOO meeze"): "From the phrase 'new year new me'... the people who go to the gym and clog up the place after New Year's." 3. Procrastibaking: "Procrastinating writing a paper (or other dreaded task) by baking."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.