unfinished
Americanadjective
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not finished; incomplete or unaccomplished.
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lacking some special finish or surface treatment, as polish, paint, etc.
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(of cloth) not sheared following the looming process.
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(of worsted) given a slight nap.
adjective
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incomplete or imperfect
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(of paint, polish, varnish, etc) without an applied finish; rough
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(of fabric) unbleached or not processed
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(of fabric) with a short nap
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unfinished
Vocabulary lists containing unfinished
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At a recent performance of his Valiant symphony in Chennai, he explained how he wove Schubert's Unfinished Symphony into Idhayam Pogudhey, a song from the 1979 Tamil film Puthiya Vaarpukkal.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Did everyone routinely use the encyclopedia, or read the Steinbeck novel, or listen attentively to Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony?
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
Mr. Turley is a law professor at George Washington University and author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution,” forthcoming in February.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025
Unfinished homework is less of a reason to skip school today than it used to be, while more elementary school students said they skipped school because “it’s boring.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025
Unfinished homework lay strewn on my blankets, still there from the night before, when I’d fallen asleep staring at the blank pages.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.