Unshapes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove or alter the form or structure of something so that it no longer retains its original shape or contour; to cause a physical object or figure to lose its defined outline; to reverse the process of shaping or molding an item into a particular form
2. To deform or distort an object's natural or intended configuration; to reverse or undo the act of shaping by changing its visible or tangible form; to affect the shape of something negatively by removing its previously established boundaries or contours
3. To cause an entity or material to lose its designed or established form or silhouette; to pull apart or disrupt the structural outline of a physical item or concept; to undo or negate the process of giving shape or arrangement to an object or idea

Etymology: "Unshapes" is the third-person singular present form of "unshape," a verb built from the prefix "un-" attached to "shape." The prefix here is the reversing or undoing kind, as in "unmake" or "untie," so the base idea is taking a shape away or undoing it. In this sense, "unshape" describes something losing its form, so that a thing previously defined and orderly becomes formless or distorted. The verb therefore covers both the literal damage to an object and the more general disruption of an arrangement or pattern. "Unshapes" simply applies that action to a single subject, such as "the storm unshapes the dune."

Synonyms: deforms, distorts, misshapes, disfigures, warps

Antonyms: shapes, forms, molds, creates, constructs