unfinished

[ uhn-fin-isht ]

adjective

1. not finished; 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

/ 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

Other Words From

• un·finished·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unfinished¹

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

Example Sentences

There have been back and forths between the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River tribes and Dakota Access for years now, and for a period the pipeline sat unfinished.

From Popular-Science

With that unfinished business in mind, Kansas City reloaded for another run in 2015.

From FiveThirtyEight

Because the unfinished count Wednesday afternoon had the president trailing in Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin.

From Washington Post

Leaving a bag of chips, pretzels, pretty much any snack unfinished is an impressive feat, so don’t mess it up by leaving the bag open.

From Popular-Science

Former COO sues Pinterest, accusing it of gender discrimination, retaliation and wrongful terminationAs a baseline, while progress is evident, gender pay is an unfinished product to say the least.

From TechCrunch

Two years later, Death Metal Angola is readying for its premiere, and the railway film remains unfinished.

From The Daily Beast

They barricaded themselves in the unfinished two-story home.

From The Daily Beast

Atop the building, an unfinished roof deck awaits the enticement of a soon-to-be liquor license.

From The Daily Beast

Now 27 years later, the giant, unfinished shell is a reminder of the country's unfulfilled tourism dreams.

From The Daily Beast

To this day, however, The Other Side of the Wind remains unfinished.

From The Daily Beast

The unfinished phrases floated, but dared not come to earth; they gathered but remained undelivered.

From Project Gutenberg

She is still inspiring the unfinished work of creation, and her delight is with the children of men.

From Project Gutenberg

A mortgage made of an unfinished article will hold the article when finished if it can be identified.

From Project Gutenberg

The other, the Campo de Santa Anna, is exceedingly extensive, but unfinished.

From Project Gutenberg

She left her question unfinished, her hand clutching nervously at the bosom of her gown.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bare
• incomplete
• unadorned
• undeveloped
• unfulfilled