UNFINISHED

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does unfinished mean? 

• UNFINISHED (adjective)
  The adjective UNFINISHED has 3 senses:

1. not brought to the desired final state

2. not brought to an end or conclusion

3. lacking a surface finish such as paint

  Familiarity information: UNFINISHED used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• UNFINISHED (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Not brought to the desired final state

Similar:

raw; unsanded (used of wood and furniture)

rough-cut; roughhewn (of stone or timber; shaped roughly without finishing)

undressed (of lumber or stone or hides; not finished or dressed)

unfattened ((of market animals) not optimal for marketing)

unhewn ((of stone especially) not given a finished form by or as if by hewing)

Also:

unpainted (not having a coat of paint or badly in need of a fresh coat)

unprocessed (not altered from an original or natural state)

rough; unsmooth (having or caused by an irregular surface)

Antonym:

finished ((of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Not brought to an end or conclusion

Context example:

the building is still unfinished

Similar:

incomplete; uncompleted (not yet finished)

pending (awaiting conclusion or confirmation)

undone (not done)

unended (not ended; lacking an end or conclusion)

Antonym:

finished (ended or brought to an end)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Lacking a surface finish such as paint

Synonyms:

bare; unfinished

Context example:

unfinished furniture

Similar:

unpainted (not having a coat of paint or badly in need of a fresh coat)

 Context examples 

Not whole; lacking some necessary part or detail; unfinished.

(Incomplete, NCI Thesaurus)

On Wednesday it was still unfinished, so I hammered away until Friday—that is, yesterday.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There was no unfinished story waiting his hand, no new story demanding articulation.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The tidy basket, with the bit of work she left unfinished when the needle grew 'so heavy', was still on its accustomed shelf.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

They took some time (not so much on account of their variety, as Jip's reluctance), and were still unfinished when it was heard at the door.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Seeing me, she roused herself: she made a sort of effort to smile, and framed a few words of congratulation; but the smile expired, and the sentence was abandoned unfinished.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

A dainty eater, he found that his mates, finishing first, robbed him of his unfinished ration.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

When actuated by selfish and vicious motives, I asked you to undertake my unfinished work, and I renew this request now, when I am only induced by reason and virtue.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

All were alert and impatient; the ladies moved soon, the gentlemen soon followed them, and with the exception of Lady Bertram, Mrs. Norris, and Julia, everybody was in the theatre at an early hour; and having lighted it up as well as its unfinished state admitted, were waiting only the arrival of Mrs. Grant and the Crawfords to begin.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

And leave your case unfinished?

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)