UNSYMPATHETIC Synonyms: 304 Similar and Opposite Words

unsympathetic

adjective

ˌən-ˌsim-pə-ˈthe-tik

as in ruthless

having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings gave them an unsympathetic look and pointed out that they'd brought the problem on themselves

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in icy

lacking in friendliness or warmth of feeling an aloof and unsympathetic man who does not engage in small talk

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as in hostile

marked by opposition or ill will a bohemian artist who found the unsympathetic environment of the small town too much to bear

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as in negative

opposed to one's interests an unsympathetic reaction to her proposal to ban trans fats from the company cafeteria

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unsympathetic Perhaps the most succinct way to illustrate the difference is that Kiritsis really did seem crazy and thus, unsympathetic. —

Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Jan. 2026 Noah Baumbach loves to find sympathy in unsympathetic subjects—the awkward title character of Greenberg, the caustic writer played by Nicole Kidman in Margot at the Wedding, the bitter divorced couple of Marriage Story. —

David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2025 Many young consumers, already juggling high costs for food, rent, and education, and crushed by an unsympathetic labor market, are entering adulthood with the self-care budget of a socialite twice their age. —

Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025 The petulant, back-stabby intrigue between various parties here sometimes makes the hero rather unsympathetic, with photogenic singer-actor Pena Hernandez’s puppyish turn not conveying a great deal of complexity, let alone artistic o intellectual potential. —

Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unsympathetic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsympathetic

Adjective

Typewriters, stationery, fine-art museums, the quintessential impressionist painter—these are all associated with taste, beauty, and craft, as well as with intentionality and care, the opposite of the ruthless technological efficiency that repels many from generative AI.

— Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Even if the film doesn’t co-sign her ideology, Ursula is the most nuanced of the ruthless killers, and Gellar is adept at digging into the character’s ambiguity and shifting priorities.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026