unhelpful

adjective

un·help·ful | \ ˌən-ˈhelp-fəl

How to pronounce unhelpful (audio)

; Southern often -ˈhep- also -ˈheəp- \

Definition of unhelpful

: offering no assistance : not helpful a rude, unhelpful person a confusing and unhelpful textbook

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Examples of unhelpful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the end, feeling out of control is the result of letting your brain run in a groove that’s unhelpful and unproductive. — Melody Wilding, Forbes, "How to Stop Negative Thoughts From Ruining Your Day," 1 Mar. 2021 For biographer Smith, little could or should change about the monarchy while Elizabeth II reigns, and attempts to pit transatlantic family members against one another are unhelpful. — NBC News, "Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview revealed cultural divide between U.K. and America," 20 Mar. 2021 These unhelpful thoughts may have served us in the past, but are no longer productive. — Melody Wilding, Forbes, "How to Stop Negative Thoughts From Ruining Your Day," 1 Mar. 2021 Reframing unhelpful thoughts and beliefs is a crucial step towards food freedom. — Ziba Redif, SELF, "What to Do If You’re Feeling Out of Control Around Food," 23 Feb. 2021 Still, the tone and substance of that criticism were unhelpful—even counterproductive. — Siva Vaidhyanathan, The New Republic, "Making Sense of the Facebook Menace," 5 Jan. 2021 By then, West Wing staffers monitoring initial videos of the protesters on TV and social media were already worried that the situation was escalating and felt that Trump’s tweet attacking Pence was unhelpful. — Anchorage Daily News, "Six hours of paralysis: Inside Trump’s failure to act after a mob stormed the Capitol," 12 Jan. 2021 By then, West Wing staffers monitoring initial videos of the protesters on TV and social media were already worried that the situation was escalating and felt that Trump's tweet attacking Pence was unhelpful. — Star Tribune, "Six hours of paralysis: Inside Trump's failure to act after a mob stormed the Capitol," 12 Jan. 2021 There are numerous complaints that customer support is unresponsive or unhelpful, screenshots show. — Los Angeles Times, "Unfair ratings cost some Instacart shoppers hundreds a week. Here’s what’s happening," 21 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unhelpful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

3 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Unhelpful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhelpful. Accessed 21 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for unhelpful

unhelpful

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of unhelpful

: giving no help : not helpful or useful

See the full definition for unhelpful in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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