as in unloving
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Recent Examples of unaffectionate
But in conversations with his long-suffering wife Louisa and his stern mother Abigail Adams, a less noble side of the man is laid bare: absentee husband, cold, unaffectionate father and inflexible, unlikable politician.
—
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2020
Seward says Diana told her about her ex-husband's unaffectionate childhood with parents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 21 Sep. 2020
Kyung, a Korean-American, grew up financially comfortable — surrounded by tutors, music lessons and other markers of success — but in loveless, unaffectionate surroundings.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 11 May 2017
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2020
Seward says Diana told her about her ex-husband's unaffectionate childhood with parents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 21 Sep. 2020
Kyung, a Korean-American, grew up financially comfortable — surrounded by tutors, music lessons and other markers of success — but in loveless, unaffectionate surroundings.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 11 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unaffectionate
Adjective
-
Felix, whose childhood is revealed to have been unloving and unstable, seems to see in Jess something like instant security: not just a warm person with a home that’s much more welcoming than his chaotic squat full of eco-warriors, but an insta-family.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
17 July 2025
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And at its head, always, sits Adele’s husband Caesar (Tommaso Ragno), a stern but not unloving patriarch with the sonorous voice of a man used to being obeyed, who runs the local one-room school where all of his kids, bar his youngest, sickly infant, are taught the same lessons regardless of age.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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In light of his trajectory from problem child to aloof entrepreneur, Newsom, who is said to be planning a run for higher office, has an opportunity to become America’s first Gen X President.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
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As her image is being chopped, skewed, and sold for parts, Charli (a genuinely good actor) toggles between aloof disinterest and manic frustration.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Others fell victim to unfriendly road environments.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
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So what’s behind the market’s unfriendly reaction?—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In any lesser performance, that character could’ve hardened into a villainous fairy-tale creature, the uncaring mother who has abandoned her child for the sake of her own unnatural career ambitions.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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And you’ll be known in history as the Christmas Miracle, five fragile lives tossed on the treacherous, uncaring currents of history, and the sea.—
Gawon Bae,
CNN Money,
25 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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The markets are not totally indifferent to what Europeans are going to do.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
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Strategic buyers are indifferent to temporary downturns measured in months — only focusing on stability that spans decades.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Others are single and uninterested in having children.—
Annalisa Merelli,
STAT,
2 Feb. 2026
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The assignment is to sit there and talk about it in public and possibly embarrass yourself by getting into a verbal confrontation in front of a restaurant of otherwise uninterested bystanders.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Figure skating is ruthless that way.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss (Bening), Lucky must fight for her life — and a way out.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Told together, the overlapping stories deal with issues of mental illness, lives of quiet desperation, and the pitiless march of time.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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The fragile skeleton of her ego threatened to snap under the pressure of the animal forces that pressed down on her consciousness, her narrative mind sagging and distended beneath pitiless and grandiose feeling.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unaffectionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unaffectionate. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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