unhelpful

adjective

un·​help·​ful ˌən-ˈhelp-fəl How to pronounce unhelpful (audio)
 Southern often  -ˈhep-,
 also  -ˈheəp-
: offering no assistance : not helpful
a rude, unhelpful person
a confusing and unhelpful textbook
unhelpfully adverb
unhelpfulness noun

Examples of unhelpful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Some Republicans on Capitol Hill have suggested that Vought's threats of mass layoffs have been unhelpful to bipartisan talks on the funding standoff. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025 There are also the unhelpful phone calls from her husband, telling her to enjoy the spoils of the crummy motel she’s forced to reside in due to said hole. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025 Hannah Brown was a prominent purveyor of anti-Karen content, setting most of her sketches in restaurants with unreasonable customers and unhelpful management. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025 This language is unhelpful and wrong. Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unhelpful

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhelpful was circa 1616

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Cite this Entry

“Unhelpful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhelpful. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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