unaccomplished
Americanadjective
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not accomplished; incomplete or not carried out.
Many tasks remain unaccomplished.
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without accomplishments; inexpert.
an unaccomplished musician.
adjective
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not accomplished or finished
-
lacking accomplishments
Etymology
Origin of unaccomplished
First recorded in 1515–25; un- 1 + accomplished
Explanation
Someone who's unaccomplished isn't particularly skillful — at least, not yet. An unaccomplished nine-year-old trombone player may eventually become a virtuoso! If you describe yourself as unaccomplished, you probably mean you haven't achieved your goals in a certain area. Being an unaccomplished poet can be pretty frustrating, especially if you dream of being the next Emily Dickinson. Someone who's more generally unaccomplished might just be a little awkward or clumsy. Both meanings come from the word's original sense, "not finished, or incomplete," and its Latin root, acomplir, "to fulfill or complete."
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.
No Mexican fighter has ever held all four major super middleweight belts simultaneously, but the 31-year-old Canelo has put the accomplishment atop his dwindling list of unaccomplished pugilistic goals.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2021
Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which he used to run, as unaccomplished “bullies.”
From Washington Times • Apr. 29, 2021
The Jazz, having relocated from New Orleans in 1979, was still a relatively young and unaccomplished franchise when Sloan took over during the 1988-89 season.
From Washington Post • May 22, 2020
But nestled among his layer cakes of dependent clauses was a clear-eyed assessment of what he had accomplished and left unaccomplished — and what was left for others to do.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2020
I looked at Daddy, leaning on his cane, and thought about how the dream of playing professional baseball has just passed down, and down, and down...and gone unaccomplished.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
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.
