unaffectionate

adjective

Definition of unaffectionatenext
as in unloving

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unaffectionate By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence. — James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 Seward says Diana told her about her ex-husband's unaffectionate childhood with parents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. — Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 21 Sep. 2020 Kyung, a Korean-American, grew up financially comfortable — surrounded by tutors, music lessons and other markers of success — but in loveless, unaffectionate surroundings. — Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 11 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unaffectionate
  1. unloving
  2. aloof
  3. unfriendly
  4. uncaring
  5. indifferent
  6. uninterested
  7. ruthless
  8. pitiless
Adjective
  • If God is divine Love itself, then hatred, fear, and unloving behavior cannot originate in His likeness.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Most of the other relationships in the movie are hopelessly corrupted or poisoned in some way, as Letty moves between an unloving mother and a vengeful former lover, and others whose closeness is a weapon to be feared.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 28 July 2026
Definition of unloving
Adjective
  • Khalil is unfailingly polite, in a way that can come across as mannered, almost aloof.
    — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Technically very good, but also a little aloof, while getting good results without appearing to try desperately hard to impress you.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of aloof
Adjective
  • The lack of shade trees along the building’s perimeter are decidedly unfriendly.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • This tropical wave was rolling off Africa’s west coast early Monday, and forecasters said conditions in the otherwise unfriendly Atlantic might line up to give this one a shot at strengthening by the middle to end of the week.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfriendly
Adjective
  • However, his team describes Fred as a tyrant, who is uncaring and belligerent and micro-manages everything.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Other scholars, however, downplay the book’s diablerie, viewing the Pequod’s captain instead as an admirably heroic overreacher or a latter-day Prometheus facing down the gods, fate, the uncaring universe.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of uncaring
Adjective
  • When white people get beaten up or injured, as gravely as by torture or as dramatically as in a car chase, the police appear to be unaware or indifferent, as do Black and white townspeople alike.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For one thing, archetypes are by definition reductive, and there are plenty of people around here who are older, or parents, or retired, or indifferent to the bar scene, or all of the above.
    — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of indifferent
Adjective
  • Cary’s uninterested father, Wayne Whittaker (William Fichtner).
    — Derek Lawrence, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Usha is adept at seeming uninterested in a future inside the White House.
    — Kate Andersen Brower, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of uninterested
Adjective
  • He was always destined to follow in the footsteps of another tyrannical, ruthless Don – Michael Corleone.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Ink finds the Sinners star playing ruthless tabloid editor Larry Lamb in Boyle’s retelling of what happened when Rupert Murdoch acquired struggling British newspaper The Sun.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruthless
Adjective
  • Nilsson’s depiction of bodies past their prime conjures not the pitiless naturalism of Joan Semmel or Alice Neel, but something friskier, more delighted.
    — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
  • As with the others, the pitiless treatment only ends when they’re slaughtered.
    — Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
Definition of pitiless

Browse Nearby Words

unaffecting
unaffectionate
unaffiliated
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Cite this Entry

“Unaffectionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unaffectionate. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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