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
  • Hope was dangled like a carrot, then cruelly snatched away, more than once.
    — Marissa Stapley, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
  • Colombia peppered him with shots from all parts of the attacking third, as seen below, and had three goals disallowed before Daniel Munoz’s deflected strike — cruelly — finally beat Mpasi on 76 minutes.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of cruelly
Adverb
  • Predominant symptoms among those who reported feeling ill included vomiting and diarrhea.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
  • Yet the Village People’s hits endured in a way few other disco novelties could, forever blasted out at weddings and occasionally ill-fitting public events.
    — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026
Definition of ill
Adverb
  • But when the swirl of events beyond their control caught them into something immeasurably larger than a single game of soccer, not even the strength of their new mentality was enough to prevent them from being ruthlessly swept away.
    — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026
  • Needing 49 from 24 balls as the endgame loomed, England was still second favorite until Bishnoi fell apart and Bethell cashed in ruthlessly in the 17th.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Definition of ruthlessly
Adverb
  • All Harris needed was a 10-men England side to hold on as El Tri mercilessly delivered crosses into the box.
    — Fisher Isbell, AJC.com, 7 July 2026
  • It’s been blistering in New York City, with temperatures registering in the high 90s on successive days, then climbing to 100 degrees Thursday and mercilessly extending into the Fourth of July.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
Definition of mercilessly
Adverb
  • Dumpings can happen by elimination, by public vote—every week or so, viewers can choose their favorite islanders or pick who a new bombshell should pair up with—or, more diabolically, by the other islanders’ selection.
    — Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 27 June 2026
  • That’s par for the course in a facility where all of the nurses are angels (Fisayo Akinade’s diabolically endearing Nurse Angel in particular), and nobody else seems to be sick.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025
Definition of diabolically
Adverb
  • The first hour, set at a resort that’s like a singles cruise through the Twilight Zone (or Bachelor in Paradise beamed in from a brutal alternate universe), contains some of the most pitilessly funny scenes of the filmmaker’s career.
    — A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
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 15 Jul. 2026.

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