Unabridged

Unabridged means not shortened by omitting material. An unabridged edition aims to present the work in its complete form as originally published, without omissions that characterize abridged versions. The designation is commonly used in publishing to signal that all chapters, passages, or sections are included, even if the text is lengthy.

In practice, unabridged is applied to literary works, reference volumes, and media products such as dictionaries and audiobooks. In dictionaries, an unabridged edition includes the full range of headwords and senses, including archaic or infrequent terms; abridged or compact dictionaries omit portions to reduce size. In literature, an unabridged edition preserves every part of the text; abridged editions may cut for pace, readability, or a target audience. In audiobooks, an unabridged version is read in its entirety, while an abridged version is shortened to fit a runtime.

Translations can also be described as unabridged if they aim to render the full source text, though translation choices may still reflect edits for readability. It is important to note that the label unabridged does not guarantee the absence of editorial changes such as modernization of spelling or punctuation.

Etymology: the word combines un- and abridged, meaning not shortened; the term is attested in English from the early modern period.