unsharpened

1 2.5

Not having a cutting edge or point

adjective
/ʌnˈʃɑːrpənd/

: sin afilar

As my 23 new fourth graders nervously file into the classroom with their sun-kissed cheeks and unsharpened pencils, these 9-year-olds are faced with this question.
an unsharpened pencil

Examples

A rough, unsharpened diamond, just like I used to.

Wild Side (1996)
If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.
Another way to think about this is that the presence of gray along the edges of the tree and the juniper provides a transition between the sharpened land and the unsharpened sky and water.

Academic text (2009)
A glass, with the Sputnik (leaving the diminishing planet behind) painted on it, full of pens and unsharpened, virgin pencils.

Fiction book (1996)
You can also use unsharpened pencils for drawing with soft colors.
As my students began the art project, I noticed many had brought unsharpened pencils from home.
To make your sketches better, start with unsharpened pencils for softer lines.

Synonyms

dull

vsunsharpened

17 1.0

Not having a sharp edge so it cuts poorly

is left without a sharp edge rather than blunt from wear

unsharp

vsunsharpened

4.8

Not having a sharp edge or a clear picture

applies only to a physical edge left without a sharp side

dulled

vsunsharpened

4.3

Made less strong or clear

describes an item never given a sharp edge rather than one losing it

Antonyms

sharpened

1.8

Having a thin edge or point that can cut

How Sharp

sharp

301 1.0

unsharpened

1 2.5

blunt

109 1.0

Surface Forms

unsharpened positive

Morphology

unsharpened = sharpened (transparent) = un + sharpen + ed

Formed by adding 'un-' to the familiar adjective 'sharpened' (itself 'sharpen' + '-ed'), so learners can readily infer 'not sharpened'.

Etymology

The word unsharpened breaks into un- meaning 'not' and sharpened from the verb 'to make sharp'. So, unsharpened simply means 'not made sharp', like a pencil or knife that won't cut.