unenthusiastic

adjective

un·​en·​thu·​si·​as·​tic ˌən-in-ˌthü-zē-ˈa-stik 

-en-

also -ˌthyü-

: having or showing a lack of excitement or enthusiasm : not enthusiastic

an unenthusiastic response

an unenthusiastic crowd

unenthusiastically

ˌən-in-ˌthü-zē-ˈa-sti-k(ə-)lē 

-en-

also -ˌthyü-

adverb

a suggestion that was greeted unenthusiastically

Synonyms of unenthusiastic

• neutral
• tepid
• halfhearted
• lukewarm

Examples of unenthusiastic in a Sentence

my suggestion that we go to see the new action flick was greeted with an unenthusiastic shrug

Recent Examples on the Web

And yet many people were unenthusiastic about the economy as a whole. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025

There's only so much one can glean from the preseason, but performance reviews for Maye have been unenthusiastic at best. — Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025

In this purple-on-purple preppy look, Lady Di (then a 19-year-old nursery school teacher) seemed sweet—if not a little unenthusiastic about being photographed. — Natalie Arroyo Camacho, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026

But historical low voter turnout in gubernatorial primaries, combined with an electorate that has been largely unenthusiastic about the candidates at the top of the ballot, could drive the outcome of the high-stakes election. — Grace Hase, Mercury News, 4 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unenthusiastic

• aeroelastic
• ecclesiastic
• elastoplastic
• enthusiastic
• iconoclastic
• interscholastic
• megaloblastic
• osteoblastic
• photoelastic
• thermoelastic
• viscoelastic
• anaplastic