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
-
Potterheads across the globe will instantly recognize Harry’s not-so-homely house on Privet Drive, his cramped excuse of a bedroom and the endless disdain oozing from the young wizard’s unloving aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
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That’s because players generally tend to be neutral on or supportive of their GMs, if not completely aloof.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
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Chows are depicted on Chinese pottery dating to the Han dynasty; some lore maintains that this aloof, moody breed evolved in the shadow of the North Pole.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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When interviewing people that knew Lee and Elaine, our unnamed narrator comes across men complaining about Elaine always being drunk or Lee being unfriendly.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Whitney has been complaining to Conner that Jen has been weirdly unfriendly at the Dancing With the Stars studio.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Standing outside her Brooklyn home on Friday, a devastated Wright struggled to understand how the driver who hit her child could be so uncaring.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
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But dismissing public servants as lazy, overpaid or uncaring ignores the reality of the people doing the work — and undermines our ability to attract the talent needed to govern well.—
John Atkinson,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Trump is famously indifferent to the concerns of those around him.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
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The show, which runs through March 28, has a blistering message to impart about the insidious nature of authoritarian political movements and the dangers of being oblivious or indifferent.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And for those uninterested in chess, there are plenty of other choices.—
Madison Beveridge,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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Reske appears uninterested in fetishizing or recreating his past, and that’s probably for the best.—
David Glickman,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Others think Davie’s ruthless headcount reductions led to a brain drain, which in turn precipitated editorial errors that ultimately led to his resignation.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
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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
Adjective
-
The food chain is in full and pitiless effect, and no one bats an eye, or side-eyes a bat, when natural predatory impulses kick in.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
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The scene offers a pitiless view of the sexism, and materialism, of the culture in which the girls were being raised.—
Mark Oppenheimer,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unaffectionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unaffectionate. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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