ENGLISH
REFERENCE

undone

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ənˈdən// UK //ʌndˈʌn// un·done

adj. not tied, fastened, or closed. You use this when something that was once secure, like a button or a shoelace, is now open.

adj. not fastened, tied, or secured; in a state of being open or loose. Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'come' or 'become'.


SIMPLE

Your shoelaces are undone.

CONTEXTUAL

He didn't realize his top button was undone until he looked in the mirror before the interview.

COMPLEX

The package arrived with the ribbons undone and the wrapping paper torn, suggesting it had been handled roughly during transit.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology 1

From un- + done.

Etymology 2

From Middle English undon, from Old English ondōn, from Proto-Germanic andadōnaz, past participle of andadōną (“to undo”), equivalent to undo + -en (past participle ending). Cognate with Dutch ontdaan (“stripped, undone, upset”).

Usage

Commonly follows the verb 'come' to describe a fastening that fails or opens by accident.

Pitfall

My shoes are undidMy shoes are undoneLearners often confuse the past tense 'undid' with the participial adjective 'undone' when describing a state.

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