undone
/'ʌn'dʌn/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Not done; not completed or finished: Refers to tasks, work, or actions that have not been carried out or concluded.
- Unfastened, untied, or opened: Describes something that is not closed, secured, or fastened properly.
- Ruined or brought to disaster: Describes a state of being defeated, destroyed, or having one's plans completely fail.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- She left the house with several chores undone. (The tasks were not completed.)
- His tie was undone after the long meeting. (The tie was not tied; it was loose.)
- After the scandal, his reputation was utterly undone. (His reputation was ruined.)
Advanced Usage
"come undone": to become unfastened, untied, or to fall apart.
- The package came undone during transit. (The package became unfastened.)
- Her carefully laid plans came undone at the last minute. (Her plans fell apart or failed.)
"leave something undone": to not complete a task or duty.
- He felt guilty for leaving the report undone. (He did not finish the report.)
Variants and Related Words
- Undo (verb): To unfasten, untie, or reverse an action.
- Can you undo this knot? (Can you untie this knot?)
- The update will undo the previous changes. (The update will reverse the changes.)
Synonyms
- Incomplete: Not finished.
- Unfastened: Not closed or secured.
- Ruined: Destroyed, wrecked.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Undo oneself: (Archaic) To ruin one's own prospects or reputation.
- With that reckless decision, he has undone himself. (He has ruined his own chances.)
Related Idioms
- "What's done cannot be undone.": Once something has happened, it cannot be changed or reversed. (This idiom uses the related verb ).
- I regret my words, but what's done cannot be undone. (The past action cannot be reversed.)
Adjective
- thrown into a state of disorganization or incoherence
- price programs became unstuck because little grain was available
- not fastened or tied or secured
- her blouse had come undone at the neck
- his shoelaces were undone
- doomed to extinction
- not done
- the work could be done or undone and nobody cared