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Glite Dictionary
unshaven

unshaven

10 3.0
Having short rough hair on the face like a light beard
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈʃeɪvən/
translation icon : sin afeitar
  • After camping for three days, he looked tired and unshaven, with stubble covering his cheeks.

If only I could live off the ice cream money, safe and insured, unshaven and couth these yeses.

Examples

  • When the door swung open, an unshaven man with a thick shock of white hair stepped onto the stoop.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The next visitor through the door was Gus, pale and unshaven and looking distinctly under the weather.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Ed lies asleep in bed, unshaven, in the middle of the day.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • You returned to Psycho, the tall unshaven figure in the chair, dressed as a woman, looking out the window.

    Academic text (2007)

  • I was on the campaign unshaven and unkempt.

  • A short, skinny, unshaven man shook the dice in a round tin cup.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • My mind stuck momentarily on the image of my father, unshaven in torn, shipwrecked clothes.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Beside her, Brian sat in a chair, his unshaven face an unhealthy shade of gray.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Looks like he feels unclean, unshaven, slightly drunk, his clothes soiled, torn, and disheveled.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • From under the tricorn hat, his face stared down at me, gaunt and unshaven, haggard, with sunken eyes.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

unshaved
vsunshaven
1 3.0

With hair growing on the face

is identical in meaning but uses wording about short facial hair growth
stubbled
vsunshaven
1 6.0

Having short rough hair on the face after not shaving

describes not having been shaved but stresses visible short facial hair
bestubbled
vsunshaven
  • Archaic
8.2

Having short, rough hair on the face after not shaving

focuses on general hair growth rather than mere patches of hair

Antonyms

shaven
23 2.7

Almost no hair on the face or head because it is cut close to the skin

How Shaved

clean-shaven
12 3.5
unshaven
10 3.0
bearded
52 1.0

Surface Forms

unshaven positive

Morphology

unshaven = shaven (transparent) = un + shaven

Clear negation of the adjective 'shaven' by the productive prefix 'un-', yielding 'not shaven' (showing stubble).

Etymology

The word unshaven comes from un- meaning 'not' and shaven, from shave, meaning 'to cut hair'. So unshaven describes someone or an area of the body that has not been shaved and shows short hairs or stubble.