unsympathetic
adjective
un·sym·pa·thet·ic
ˌən-ˌsim-pə-ˈthe-tik 
: not given to, marked by, or arising from sympathy : not sympathetic
an unsympathetic bystander
an unsympathetic review
Synonyms
- affectless
- callous
- case-hardened
- cold-blooded
- compassionless
- desensitized
- hard
- hard-boiled
- hard-hearted
- heartless
- indurate
- inhuman
- inhumane
- insensate
- insensitive
- ironhearted
- merciless
- obdurate
- pachydermatous
- pitiless
- remorseless
- ruthless
- slash-and-burn
- soulless
- stony
- stoney
- stonyhearted
- take-no-prisoners
- thick-skinned
- uncharitable
- unfeeling
- unmerciful
- unsparing
Examples of unsympathetic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As heavy rain turns Burning Man 2023 into a muddy mess, a deluge of unsympathetic jokes has swamped the internet outside Black Rock City, the temporary location built annually for the nine-day festival in the remote desert of Nevada.
—
Angela Yang, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2023
The word gets batted around a lot, but there’s little in Galliano’s unsympathetic demeanor in the interviews shot for High & Low to suggest much more than lip service.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Sep. 2023
To the unsympathetic eye, the Edgar is a peculiar haircut, so childlike and unflattering as to be offensive.
—Myriam Gurba, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023
Malone’s biggest concern were the people taking to the street -- with unsympathetic oncoming traffic approaching.
—Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 25 July 2023
This new case may be thorny for the gun lobby considering Rahimi's criminal history, but some gun rights groups argue that even if Rahimi is an unsympathetic figure, the federal law is still inconsistent in their view with a Second Amendment.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 13 July 2023
The company's board fellows will not have voting rights. - Workers may find their demands for flexible schedules fall on unsympathetic ears.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2023
Maybe the people in his life are especially unsympathetic.
—Peter C. Baker, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2023
Residents include party-loving Vi (Jillian Nguyen), the peevish and troubled Cathy (Bev Killick), unsympathetic Renee (Lucinda Armstrong Hall), who has an infant and finds Shayda handy for babysitting, and Lara (Eve Morey), a Brit who hasn’t seen her son in more than two years.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Jan. 2023
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Angela Yang, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2023
The word gets batted around a lot, but there’s little in Galliano’s unsympathetic demeanor in the interviews shot for High & Low to suggest much more than lip service.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Sep. 2023
To the unsympathetic eye, the Edgar is a peculiar haircut, so childlike and unflattering as to be offensive.
—Myriam Gurba, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023
Malone’s biggest concern were the people taking to the street -- with unsympathetic oncoming traffic approaching.
—Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 25 July 2023
This new case may be thorny for the gun lobby considering Rahimi's criminal history, but some gun rights groups argue that even if Rahimi is an unsympathetic figure, the federal law is still inconsistent in their view with a Second Amendment.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 13 July 2023
The company's board fellows will not have voting rights. - Workers may find their demands for flexible schedules fall on unsympathetic ears.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2023
Maybe the people in his life are especially unsympathetic.
—Peter C. Baker, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2023
Residents include party-loving Vi (Jillian Nguyen), the peevish and troubled Cathy (Bev Killick), unsympathetic Renee (Lucinda Armstrong Hall), who has an infant and finds Shayda handy for babysitting, and Lara (Eve Morey), a Brit who hasn’t seen her son in more than two years.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Jan. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unsympathetic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1823, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near unsympathetic
Cite this Entry
“Unsympathetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsympathetic. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
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