unrealized
Meaning
(of a potential, hope, or ambition) not achieved or fulfilled.
(finance) (of a profit or loss) not converted into cash by the sale of an asset.
Structure
Usage
her early dreams of becoming a pilot remained unrealized.
the company is sitting on a significant amount of unrealized gains from its investment portfolio.
the project's full potential is still unrealized due to a lack of funding.
Etymology
The word "unrealized" is a Modern English formation built upon the older adjective "realized," which itself stems from the concept of making something "real." The core element "real" traces back to Latin 'res,' meaning "thing" or "matter," evolving through Late Latin 'realis' to denote something pertaining to objective existence. The suffix "-ized" conveys the action of bringing this state of actuality about. By adding the Old English negative prefix "un-," the word inverts the meaning to describe a potential, profit, or ambition that has not been brought into concrete existence or converted into tangible form, perfectly capturing its dual modern applications in both general and financial contexts.
Analysis
un: a prefix of germanic origin (old english) meaning "not," serving a negating function. real: from latin 'realis' (relating to things), via old french 'reel'. in this compound, it functions as the core adjective meaning "actual" or "true." ized: a suffix derived from greek '-izein' via latin '-izare' and french '-iser', indicating the process of making or becoming. here, it forms the past participle adjective "made actual."