undemonstrative
adjective
un·de·mon·stra·tive
ˌən-di-ˈmän(t)-strə-tiv 
: restrained in expression of feeling : reserved
undemonstratively
adverb
undemonstrativeness
noun
Examples of undemonstrative in a Sentence
His father was distant and undemonstrative.
an undemonstrative person by nature, he nevertheless loved his wife very much
Recent Examples on the Web
Even the normally undemonstrative Sarabia was prominent in the post-match as fans and players celebrated a job almost completed.
—
Steve Madeley, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
For an undemonstrative man who specialises in draining emotion from his own demeanour on the touchline and seeks to drain it from his players, this was out of character, but Newcastle’s lap of appreciation when the game was won and done pulled off the mask.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
Few figures in literature have been as passive and undemonstrative as George Smiley.
—airmail.news, 16 Nov. 2024
Ritchson’s turn complements hers nicely, the actor letting his massive frame do the work for him as the taciturn, emotionally undemonstrative Ed who loves his children dearly and will do anything for them.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Time and again, this is how Shim gets around the dramatic difficulty of communicating the connection between such inherently undemonstrative, reserved characters.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 May 2023
The same was true of many other aristocratic children in Britain at that time, yet even friends of the young Queen (albeit it must be said not all of them) regarded her as a rather distant parent, undemonstrative with her maternal affection, not unlike her own mother.
—Time, 20 Sep. 2022
The life of the ultimate Robber Baron, Silicon Valley’s view of tomorrow, fresh fiction from a Nobel laureate and more. Honesty is perhaps the virtue that this novel, in its undemonstrative way, most extols.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022
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Steve Madeley, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
For an undemonstrative man who specialises in draining emotion from his own demeanour on the touchline and seeks to drain it from his players, this was out of character, but Newcastle’s lap of appreciation when the game was won and done pulled off the mask.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
Few figures in literature have been as passive and undemonstrative as George Smiley.
—airmail.news, 16 Nov. 2024
Ritchson’s turn complements hers nicely, the actor letting his massive frame do the work for him as the taciturn, emotionally undemonstrative Ed who loves his children dearly and will do anything for them.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Time and again, this is how Shim gets around the dramatic difficulty of communicating the connection between such inherently undemonstrative, reserved characters.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 May 2023
The same was true of many other aristocratic children in Britain at that time, yet even friends of the young Queen (albeit it must be said not all of them) regarded her as a rather distant parent, undemonstrative with her maternal affection, not unlike her own mother.
—Time, 20 Sep. 2022
The life of the ultimate Robber Baron, Silicon Valley’s view of tomorrow, fresh fiction from a Nobel laureate and more. Honesty is perhaps the virtue that this novel, in its undemonstrative way, most extols.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Undemonstrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undemonstrative. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
undemonstrative
adjective
un·de·mon·stra·tive
ˌən-di-ˈmän(t)-strət-iv
: not demonstrative : reserved
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