unaffectionate

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unaffectionate
Adjective
  • 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
  • Money notwithstanding, another possible explanation for the Fletcher kids’ unhappiness as adults is that their parents were simply bad parents, distant and unloving.
    Adelle Waldman, The Atlantic, 9 July 2024
Adjective
  • On Reddit, users discuss relating to Bateman’s aloof inner monologues and defensively make fun of people who scold them for idolizing the character.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 6 May 2025
  • Throughout the night, Coppola could be described as aloof whenever the camera flashed to him.
    Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The recipe for Bo-Diddley Baked Beans, for instance, is sparse and short on seasonings, reflective of his unfriendly meeting with the singer that Swamp Dogg recounts in the headnotes.
    Jinnie Lee Laura Regensdorf Elissa Suh Roxanne Fequiere, New York Times, 15 May 2025
  • Saluting officers of unfriendly foreign nations is thought to be forbidden but these protocols don't apply to the commander-in-chief, who is by law a civilian with no military rank or standing.
    Brendan Cole Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • Both were crashing bores because of the literally nauseating behavior of fans and the uncaring attitude of the proprietors.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
  • In a world conquered by science, technology, and capitalism, people had grown accustomed to viewing themselves as isolated cogs in a large and uncaring machine.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Nov. 2019
Adjective
  • Most therapists deal with patients who are either burned out or burning out: exhausted, stressed, feeling cynical and even indifferent.
    Ian Kerner, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
  • Haley was found guilty on all counts — using excessive force, being deliberately indifferent, witness tampering and conspiracy to witness tamper.
    Jack Armstrong, USA Today, 2 May 2025
Adjective
  • During the Biden years, Saudi Arabia proved uninterested in using its oil policies to help the United States.
    Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2025
  • These are the habitual friction creators, the ones uninterested in dialogue, seeking control, and often resistant to any collaboration.
    Stephen Miles, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • Wes Anderson is talking about a surreal moment that occurs early in his latest film, The Phoenician Scheme, in which the protagonist, the ruthless international tycoon Zsa-Zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), experiences a vision of the afterlife.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 May 2025
  • The exception nearly arrives in the closing minutes during a high-stakes scene that had the potential to transform the whole film into a ruthless satire.
    Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • And to think, this pitiless conquistador came to North America as a humble kitchen herb, deliberately imported by European settlers for its piquant flavor.
    Zoë Lescaze, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
  • Palomas are sweet and tart and bright and preternaturally refreshing, a worthy match for the pitiless heat of the Mexican summer, and deployed in great numbers whenever a little reprieve is in order.
    Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Unaffectionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unaffectionate. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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