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.
Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which he used to run, as unaccomplished “bullies.”
From Washington Times • Apr. 29, 2021
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
Thailand and Chile, the Americans’ first two opponents, are relatively unaccomplished on the international stage.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2018
At the start of second half there is still plenty of purposeful if unaccomplished attacking, interspersed by some periods of unpressurised passing.
From The Guardian • Mar. 20, 2018
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.
