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unformed

unformed

4 5.4
Not fully developed or given a clear shape
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈfɔrmd/
translation icon : no formado
  • When a project is new and unformed, management's ability to influence its direction is the greatest.
  • an unformed fetus
  • new and unformed

In this respect, lower towards the higher, the unformed towards the formed.

Examples

  • It was a very unformed idea at that point.

  • " Besides, I thought, what could such a young and unformed person have to fear?"

    Fiction book (2002)
  • But we have innocent and unformed children in this house, and the monkey and dog show has got to stop.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • You wanted this course at that time, you know, our politics was so rudimentary, was so unformed, right?

  • At any particular moment, much of what constitutes the self is too raw and unformed to fit the categories.

    Academic text (2004)
  • There are things he's forgotten, like unformed words on the tip of his tongue.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • His dreams were filled with strange, unformed images of a myriad of suns crowding against each other in the heavens.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • What Kemble characterizes as unformed, youthful ineptitude, however, contemporary readers saw as a marker of her memoirs' accessibility.

    Academic text (2018)
  • The artist's concept was still unformed, lacking clear direction and detail.

  • The team's strategy felt unformed at the beginning, but it gradually took shape over the weeks.

Synonyms

formless
vsunformed
7 5.6

Something that has no clear shape, like fog or a cloud

implies a more partial lack, including incomplete development or organization
unstructured
vsunformed
4 4.4

Not organized in a clear plan or order

also covers missing development and undefined physical form
unshaped
vsunformed
1 5.5

Not made into a finished object

is not only that but also lacks development or clear organization
unshapen
vsunformed
1 9.6

A thing that has no clear form yet

is broader and includes incomplete development and lack of organization
unformulated
vsunformed
1 7.0

Not clearly expressed or made definite

is about unfinished development and shape rather than just expression
uncrystallized
vsunformed
8.1

Not fully formed or decided

emphasizes general unfinished state including poor organization or shape
undelineated
vsunformed
9.5

Not clearly separated from other things and lacking clear edges

focuses more on general incomplete development and lack of definite form

Antonyms

1 3.9

Arranged in a clear, planned way with regular parts or routines

1.5

Having a clear shape

How Formed

complete
497 1.0
formed
1.5
unformed
4 5.4
shapeless
12 3.5

Surface Forms

unformed positive

Morphology

unformed = formed + form (transparent) = un + form + ed

The adjective is the straightforward negative formed by adding productive prefix 'un-' to 'formed', yielding 'not shaped or developed'.

Etymology

Unformed comes from the prefix un- meaning 'not' and the word form meaning 'shape' or 'arrange'. So something unformed is 'not in shape' or not yet organized or developed.