unsharp

U1N1S1H4A1R1P3

adjective

Out of focus; blurry.

“an unsharp tool”

Similar
nonsharp
Opposite
sharpcrisp
OriginMiddle English *unscharp ← Old English unsċearp ← Proto-West Germanic *unskarp →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

adjectiveunsharp (comparative more unsharp, superlative most unsharp)

comparative more unsharp · superlative most unsharp

  1. Not sharp.
    1. computer graphicsOut of focus; blurry.
    2. Dulled or intentionally blunt.

      an unsharp tool

verbunsharp (third-person singular simple present unsharps, present participle unsharping, simple past and past participle unsharped)

present singular third person unsharps · participle present unsharping · participle past unsharped · past unsharped

  1. transitivecomputer graphicsTo sharpen (an image) by creating a blurred ("unsharp") negative as a mask, and then combining that mask with the original.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
nonsharp
Opposite
sharpcrisp
Also see
nonsharp

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*unskarpaz
  2. Proto-West Germanic*unskarp
  3. Old Englishunsċearp
  4. Middle English*unscharp
  5. Englishunsharp

From Middle English *unscharp, from Old English unsċearp, from Proto-West Germanic *unskarp, from Proto-Germanic *unskarpaz, equivalent to un- + sharp. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uunskäärp (“unsharp”), West Frisian ûnskerp (“unsharp”), Dutch onscherp (“unsharp”), German Low German unscharp (“unsharp”), German unscharf (“unsharp”), Danish uskarp (“unsharp”), Swedish oskarp (“unsharp”), Norwegian uskarp (“unsharp”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish uskarp
  • uskarpnot sharp
Norwegian Bokmål uskarp
  • uskarpnot sharp

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Pranshu
Cite this entry
APA

unsharp. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unsharp

MLA

“unsharp.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unsharp. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unsharp,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unsharp.

Source: unsharp on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.