ill-naturedly

adverb

as in ungraciously

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-naturedly
  1. insensitively
  2. unkindly
  3. cruelly
  4. ill
  5. ruthlessly
  6. mercilessly
  7. diabolically
  8. pitilessly
Adverb
  • Residents were treated carelessly, disrespectfully, insensitively.
    — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
  • In this volatile environment, comments that appear to minimize or frame the shooting insensitively—like Matt Gutman's—can quickly become career-ending.
    — Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of insensitively
Adverb
  • Yet, since the post went up, some people have unkindly critiqued her cheeks, nose, chin and complexion, while others wonder what the fuss is all about.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Tabloids and magazines regularly reported on the state of the relationship, often unkindly.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of unkindly
Adverb
  • No matter how cruelly politicians and pundits discuss them, and no matter how desensitized the American people become by this rhetoric, immigrant kids are still kids.
    — Hannah Harshe, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
  • And, if Barisone was psychotically deluded, how was the jury meant to understand the defense’s central framing, which was that Kanarek had cruelly tried to harm Barisone?
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of cruelly
Adverb
  • The monster costumes were so ill-fitting that his skin wiggled.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2026
  • In the neighborhoods near Camping World Stadium, academic struggles often begin early, with most youngsters starting kindergarten ill-prepared for their first reading lessons.
    — Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of ill
Adverb
  • This notorious commercial entity, a precursor of the global corporations of today and big enough to command its own army, ruthlessly exploited foreign resources, human and material.
    — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The garment industry is ruthlessly competitive and manufacturers fear that any rise in costs or supply disruption could see orders shift to rival Vietnam, Cambodia, or Pakistan.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruthlessly
Adverb
  • But at least for now, the blue tsunami has forced the man who mercilessly bullied his way through the last two years to do what all bullies do when confronted with a united opposition.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Lifelong Republicans who didn’t fall in line were mercilessly attacked.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of mercilessly
Adverb
  • All the power of the government — investigative, technological, legal — has been thrown at finding these mysterious, diabolically clever ballot baddies.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • An abrupt sidebar with Kyle confirms that the reasons are diabolically political.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of diabolically
Adverb
  • The season finale brings the various strands of the story together elegantly and a bit pitilessly, too, as the body count continues to rise and the struggle for survival grows genuinely desperate.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of pitilessly
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.

Browse Nearby Words

ill-natured
ill-naturedly
illness
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Cite this Entry

“Ill-naturedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-naturedly. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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