Undefeated

How to spell undefeated

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce undefeated

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does undefeated mean?

1. adjectiveHaving never been beaten in a contest, game, or competition.

Undefeated in a sentence

• The team finished the season undefeated and lifted the trophy.

• She remained undefeated after twelve professional bouts.

Where does undefeated come from?

Language of origin: French

This word is built on the verb 'defeat', which came into English in the 1300s from the Old French desfait, the past participle of desfaire, meaning 'to undo' or 'to destroy'. That French verb traces back to the Latin disfacere, formed from dis- (meaning 'apart' or 'away') and facere (meaning 'to do' or 'to make'), so the literal sense was to undo what had been done. English then added its own native Germanic prefix un- (meaning 'not') and the participle ending -ed to express the idea of never having been beaten. The same Latin facere lies behind a huge family of English words, including 'factory', 'manufacture', and 'affect'. The spelling stays regular once you see the parts: 'un' plus 'defeat' plus 'ed', with the silent reminder that 'feat' (an achievement) hides inside it.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• defeat (from Old French desfait)
• -ed (past participle/adjective suffix)