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Synonyms

unfinished

American  
[uhn-fin-isht] / ʌnˈfɪn ɪʃt /

adjective

  1. not finished; incomplete or unaccomplished.

  2. lacking some special finish or surface treatment, as polish, paint, etc.

  3. (of cloth) not sheared following the looming process.

  4. (of worsted) given a slight nap.

unfinished British  
/ ʌnˈfɪnɪʃt /

adjective

  1. incomplete or imperfect

  2. (of paint, polish, varnish, etc) without an applied finish; rough

  3. (of fabric) unbleached or not processed

  4. (of fabric) with a short nap

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of unfinished

First recorded in 1530–40; un- 1 + finished

Vocabulary lists containing unfinished

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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.

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

“Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef” also marks Kobayashi’s final hot dog eating contest.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2024

Read: “The Holocaust: An Unfinished History” seeks to rescue the hard facts of historical research from the blur of common clichés.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2024

She was a pioneer in destigmatizing mental illness, said Douglas Brinkley, author of the 1998 book “The Unfinished Presidency.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2023

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

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.