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unshaped

C2
adjective

Pronunciation

UK

  • /ʌnʃˈeɪpt/

US

  • /ʌnʃˈeɪpt/

Description

Something unshaped has not been given a clear form yet. Think of clay before anyone has worked on it: it is still just a lump, waiting to be shaped. The word can also be used in a more general way for something that feels rough, unclear, or not fully developed, like an unshaped idea that still needs work.

It often suggests possibility as well as incompleteness. A sculptor begins with unshaped stone before making a figure, and a writer may begin with unshaped thoughts before turning them into a story. In both cases, the thing is real, but its final form has not appeared yet.

Examples

  1. 1

    Baking

    The dough sat on the counter, still unshaped.

  2. 2

    Poetry

    His early poems are honest, but many of them feel unshaped.

  3. 3

    Planning

    At that stage, the project was still unshaped, with only a rough idea of where to begin.

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • unshapedadjective