unkind

adjective

un·​kind ˌən-ˈkīnd 

1

: not pleasing or mild : inclement

an unkind climate

2

: lacking in kindness or sympathy : harsh, cruel

unkindness

ˌən-ˈkīn(d)-nəs 

noun

Examples of unkind in a Sentence

It was unkind of you not to invite her.

How could you be so unkind?

Recent Examples on the Web

Gorgeous archival interview clips with the young Stephanie Mills, Broadway’s original Dorothy in The Wiz, underline the gulf between audiences’ love for her and the unkind barbs of critics at the time. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2025

Steve’s first instinct is almost always to say something awful or unkind, and then Murray’s eyes flash a desire to take it back. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025

Midterm elections have historically been unkind to the sitting president's political party, and Republicans have been sprinting to get their tax cut bill through quick enough to improve their political fortunes. —Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 10 June 2025

Though this year's macOS 26 Tahoe release was unkind to Intel Macs, the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 releases are more generous, dropping support for just two iPhone models and a single iPad. —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unkind

• aligned
• alined
• assigned
• behind
• combined
• confined
• consigned
• declined
• defined
• designed
• divined
• enshrined

Kids Definition

unkind

adjective

un·​kind ˌən-ˈkīnd 

: not kind or sympathetic

an unkind remark

unkindly adverb

unkindness

-ˈkīn(d)-nəs 

noun