Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Not melted; remaining in a solid state: Describes a substance, typically one that can melt (like ice, snow, or metal), that has not undergone the process of melting and has therefore retained its solid form.
   • Figuratively, not softened or moved emotionally: Describes a person or heart that remains unaffected, unyielding, or not emotionally moved.

Usage

• The adjective unmelted is used to describe the physical state of a substance. It is the opposite of "melted."
• It can be used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like 'be', 'remain', 'stay').
• In its figurative sense, it is less common and often used in literary contexts to describe emotional hardness or indifference.

Examples

• Physical State:

  • After the brief thaw, large patches of unmelted ice remained on the lake.
  • The recipe calls for unmelted butter, which you should cut into the flour.
  • The snowman stayed unmelted for over a week due to the freezing temperatures.

• Figurative/Emotional State:

  • Despite their pleas, his heart remained unmelted and he refused to forgive them. (Literary)

Advanced Usage

• Scientific/Technical Context: Used to describe materials or samples in experiments that have not reached their melting point.
  • The unmelted crystalline structure was analyzed under the microscope.

Variants and Related Words

• Melt (verb): To change from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heat.
• Melted (adjective): The opposite state; having become liquid.
• Unthawed (adjective): Similar in meaning for frozen substances; not thawed. Note: "Unthawed" is sometimes considered non-standard, with "still frozen" being preferred.

Synonyms

• Solid
• Frozen (specifically for water/ice)
• Hard
• Unsoftened
• Unmoved (for the figurative sense)

Antonyms

• Melted
• Liquefied
• Molten (especially for metals, glass)
• Thawed
• Softened (figurative)

Adjective

1. not melted
   • streets unpassable because of piles of unmelted snow