English Reference

Word

undone

Phoneticsun·done

US/ənˈdən/

UK/ʌndˈʌn/

Definitions

01not fastened

B1

adj. not tied, zipped, or buttoned.

adj. not fastened or secured; typically used of clothing, shoelaces, or physical restraints.

“You should tie your laces because they have come undone.”

“He walked through the terminal with his coat undone, oblivious to the cold wind blowing through the open doors.”

Synonyms

looseunfasteneduntied

Antonyms

done upfastenedtied

02not finished

B2

adj. not yet completed or performed.

adj. not performed or completed; remaining in an unfinished state.

“I cannot go out tonight because I still have so much work left undone.”

“The audit revealed several critical tasks left undone by the previous management team, leading to significant delays in the project.”

Antonyms

03ruined or upset

C1

adj. feeling very upset or having your life or plans destroyed.

adj. brought to a state of ruin or emotional collapse.

“The bad news left him completely undone.”

“The protagonist found himself utterly undone by the betrayal, realizing that his years of loyalty had been met with calculated deception.”

Literary

Etymology

From un- + done.

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”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

doneAdjectiveoverdoneVerbundoneAdjective

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/undone

English Reference