Meaning & use
unplowed
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
(of land or soil) not yet broken up and turned over with a plow.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in 'an unplowed field'; it is not usually put after a verb.
Patterns
- unplowed land
- unplowed field
- leave something unplowed
The farmer left the back field unplowed this year.
Weeds had taken over the unplowed ground behind the barn.
In spring the unplowed soil was still hard and cold.
adjectivebefore a nounfigurative
Not yet dug up, cleared, or worked on; still in its natural untouched state.
Grammar: Often figurative and used before a noun, as in 'unplowed territory'; the meaning is 'not yet dealt with'.
Patterns
- unplowed ground
- unplowed territory
The new research area is still unplowed ground for scientists.
Her book explores unplowed territory in local history.
Common combinations
- unplowed field
- An unplowed field lay between the road and the river.
- unplowed land
- Much of the unplowed land was too rocky to farm.
- leave something unplowed
- They decided to leave the wet corner unplowed.
- unplowed ground
- The settlers cleared the unplowed ground by hand.
- acres of unplowed soil
- Acres of unplowed soil stretched out to the horizon.
Synonyms and how they differ
- untilled
- Very close in meaning, but 'untilled' often suggests land that could be farmed and simply has not been worked, while 'unplowed' stresses that no plow has touched it.
- fallow
- Use 'fallow' for farmland deliberately left unsown for a season; 'unplowed' says nothing about the farmer's plan.
- virgin
- 'Virgin land' or 'virgin soil' means never farmed at all; 'unplowed' can describe land that was farmed before but is not plowed now.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: unplowed or unploughed? unplowed or unplugged?
unplowed vs unploughed
The British spelling of the same word; use 'unploughed' in British writing and 'unplowed' in American writing.
unplowed vs unplugged
A different word meaning 'with the plug removed' or, for music, 'played on acoustic instruments'; it sounds similar but has nothing to do with farming.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'unplowed' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Unplowed' describes land or soil, so it fits 'the wet field'. Option A wrongly applies it to a tractor, option C confuses it with 'unplugged', and option D makes no sense with a concert.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unplowed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.