unfinished

adjective un·fin·ished \ ˌən-ˈfi-nisht \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Definition of unfinished

: not finished:

a : not brought to an end or to the desired final state

b : being in a rough state : unpolished

c : subjected to no other processes (such as bleaching or dyeing) after coming from the loom

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Recent Examples of unfinished from the Web

At first glance, the Converse x Midnight Studios sneakers might seem accidentally unfinished, but achieving that aura of simplicity took nearly a year.

— tyler watamanuk, GQ, "These Converse Sneakers Get the Inside-Out Treatment," 13 June 2018
The edifice feels unfinished, conditional, predicated on a future to which the composer could no longer fully subscribe.

— jeremy eichler, BostonGlobe.com, "Takacs journey to heart of Shostakovich, Beethoven," 25 Mar. 2018
The aforementioned panels, for instance, are engraved with swirling foliage and large peacocks—one of which is starkly unfinished, possibly because construction on the palace was interrupted by the invasion of 1171.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Landmark Exhibition Takes You Inside the Exuberant, Diverse World of the Fatimid Dynasty," 21 Mar. 2018
An unfinished, posthumously published story by Kuciak said the ’Ndrangheta crime gang, based in Italy’s Calabria region, had ties to two of Fico’s advisers, who later resigned.

— peter laca, Bloomberg.com, "How a Reporter’s Murder Forced Out Slovakia’s Premier," 15 Mar. 2018
The series is based on Fitzergerald’s unfinished, posthumously published novel which was inspired in part by the movie executives Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg.

— adam rathe, Town & Country, "Inside F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Last Tycoon," 31 July 2017
The sense of unfinished business has simplified head coach Pat Casey’s job in keeping this year’s team focused, and its killer instinct has been on full display as the Beavers moved through the loser’s bracket.

— eric single, SI.com, "College World Series Finals Preview: Breaking Down Oregon State vs. Arkansas," 24 June 2018
After 2017’s strong growth and political calm brought hopes that Europe was finally turning a post-crisis page, 2018 is back to unfinished business.

— richard barley, WSJ, "For Investors, Europe Is Back to Muddling Through," 22 June 2018
At Monday’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Horowitz made clear that his office still has unfinished business regarding the FBI’s Clinton investigation.

— devlin barrett, BostonGlobe.com, "Republicans hammer FBI over handling of Clinton e-mail probe," 20 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unfinished.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.