Not seen through when a bit overwrought (8)
I believe the answer is:
abortive
'overwrought' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe you can see an association between them that I can't see?
'not seen through when a bit' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'not' could be 'o' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'o' is present in the answer.
'when' could be 'e' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'e' is present in the answer.
'a' is found in the answer.
'bit' could be 'i' (resembles 1, a binary digit or bit) and 'i' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for abortive that I've seen before include "failing to produce desired effect?" , "Failing to produce desired outcome" , "O brave it and make it unsuccessful" , "Failing to accomplish an intended result" , "Ended prematurely or failed" .)