undone
1 Americanadjective
adjective
-
ruined; destroyed
-
unfastened; untied
adjective
Etymology
Origin of undone1
First recorded in 1250–1300; un- 1 ( def. ) + done ( def. )
Origin of undone2
First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective; un- 2 ( def. ) + done ( def. )
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.
But thanks to a thoroughly discredited British doctor who claimed to document changes in behavior in children given the MMR vaccine, creating the so-called “Wakefield effect,” some of this progress has been undone.
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026
We’ve worked hard for 18 years to instill a strong work ethic and teach budgeting skills, and I don’t want to see that undone.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
A kitchen cabinet had come undone, and I needed a bracket and some glue to piece it back together.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
Eric Musselman sat behind a microphone at the bitter end of a bitter regular season for USC, armed only with the same explanations for how a once-hopeful season could come so undone.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026
He straightened his shoulders, placed the crystal snowdrop in the top buttonhole of his coat, now undone.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
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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.