Definition

Adjective: 1. Not achieved or accomplished: Refers to something that has not been made real, actual, or fulfilled. 2. Not recognized or understood: Can refer to something not fully perceived or comprehended. 3. Not converted into money: In financial contexts, refers to a gain or loss that exists on paper but has not been made actual through a sale or transaction.

Usage and Examples

• General (Not achieved):
  • Her unrealized ambition was to become a pilot. (She never fulfilled her dream of becoming a pilot.)
  • The project remains an unrealized concept. (The project has not been turned into a reality.)
• Financial (Not converted to cash):
  • He has a large amount of unrealized gains in his stock portfolio. (The increase in value of his stocks has not been cashed out.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Often used to describe potential, dreams, or plans that have not come to fruition.
• Can carry a tone of regret or missed opportunity, but can also be neutral when describing abstract concepts or future possibilities.
• In economics and finance, "unrealized" is a technical term contrasting with "realized."

Variants and Related Words

• Unrealized is the standard spelling, especially in American English. Unrealised is a common British English variant.
• Unrealizable (adj.): Incapable of being realized or achieved.
  • an unrealizable goal
• Realize (v.): The root verb meaning to achieve, understand, or convert into money.
• Realization (n.): The act of realizing or the state of being realized.

Synonyms

• Unfulfilled: Not carried out or brought to completion.
• Unexecuted: Not performed or accomplished.
• Potential: Existing in possibility, not yet actual.
• Theoretical: Confined to theory or speculation, not demonstrated in practice.

Antonyms

• Realized: Successfully achieved or converted into fact/money.
• Fulfilled: Carried out or completed.
• Actualized: Made actual or real.
• Accomplished: Successfully completed.

Notes

• The primary and most common meaning is "not achieved or accomplished."
• The financial meaning is specific to contexts involving investments, assets, and accounting.
• The sense of "not recognized" is less common in modern usage but can be found in older or more literary texts.

Adjective

1. of persons; marked by failure to realize full potentialities
   • unfulfilled and uneasy men
   • unrealized dreams and ambitions