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
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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
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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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Enid-as-Wednesday struggles to stay cool and aloof.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
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The episode also doubles as a character study of Morrow, who to this point has largely been an aloof, menacing figure.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Now, even polls which have been historically unfriendly to Republicans are showing him with a huge lead over any potential opponent.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
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Kennedy’s work against vaccines has triggered unfriendly lawsuits too, including one brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other public health groups.—
Stephanie Armour,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Reached by phone, the father comes off as a cold, uncaring man, and Pacino portrays him with chilling aloofness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Sep. 2025
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For many years, Tariffs were allowed to be used against us by our uncaring and unwise Politicians.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The image portrays a man battling over food scraps with swarms of flies indifferent to their invasion of his territory.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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No, Task is most interested in serving up a drama about people in pain making their way through a world filled with senseless cruelty and overseen (depending on your religious beliefs) by an indifferent God.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Taylor’s being a drill sergeant, but Belly and Anika are uninterested in going viral.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
20 Aug. 2025
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Both artists were uninterested in the delusions that come with being attached to the mainstream music industry.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Hunted by the ruthless crime boss that Don worked for and learned all the boss’s sinister secrets — Perlman plays him — Don has a reason to seek redemption.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
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Witness Alex Hales’ ruthless removal.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Each failure rekindled the gravitational pull of an existential, pitiless struggle.—
Hussein Agha,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
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From Hollywood's Golden Age and the '70s catastrophe obsession to today, these films have unearthed every pitiless corner of nature's wrath, from towering tsunamis and viral pandemics to all-out apocalypses and more.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unaffectionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unaffectionate. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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