1
as in harmful
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2
as in impractical
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3
as in impolite
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unhelpful
These protective thoughts are normal, but unhelpful and may be a little distorted.
—
Chamin Ajjan, CNBC, 12 July 2025
Casting anything viewed as a threat to a worldview as political is simplistic and unhelpful thinking.
—Jay Steiger, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 June 2025
This kind of language is both largely unhelpful and wholly non-specific.
—Miriam Kirmayer, SELF, 23 June 2025
Hyperbole is unhelpful for teams attempting to navigate a major injury.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhelpful
Chamin Ajjan, CNBC, 12 July 2025
Casting anything viewed as a threat to a worldview as political is simplistic and unhelpful thinking.
—Jay Steiger, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 June 2025
This kind of language is both largely unhelpful and wholly non-specific.
—Miriam Kirmayer, SELF, 23 June 2025
Hyperbole is unhelpful for teams attempting to navigate a major injury.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhelpful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhelpful
Adjective
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All of which are made from lightweight, dishwasher-safe plastic that’s free of harmful chemicals.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
8 Aug. 2025
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The Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding for greenhouse gases, from 2009, says quite simply that these emissions endanger the public and qualify as harmful pollution; they can therefore be regulated under the Clean Air Act.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Researchers note that due to terrain and cost challenges, large-scale machines are often impractical, prompting research into compact, robotic pruning solutions.—
Jill Barth,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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Because reaching 75 local prosecutors around the state on short notice was impractical, Moody opted to hear unopposed arguments from Southern Legacy of Life, formerly known as ARORA (Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency), before issuing the temporary injunction.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Writing the most unbridled, impolite, unreasonable, pathetic rant that gives voice to unseen, unheard parts of you opens a relief valve that transfers emotional pain onto the page.—
Jessica DuLong,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
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If either of these things had been true, your staying put would still not have been impolite.—
Judith Martin,
The Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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By August, those numbers had shifted to 33 percent favorable and 65 percent unfavorable.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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Unlike in the United States, statistical agency commissioners in these countries cannot be fired simply for producing unfavorable economic data.—
Brent Dykes,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Bathrooms and kitchens can become unusable, impacting diet and personal hygiene.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
9 Aug. 2025
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But this doesn’t mean budget cookware is patently unusable.—
Wilder Davies,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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In the days depicted in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, thoughtless incarceration of the mentally ill was too common.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 July 2025
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Even the most robust firewalls can be rendered ineffective with a single thoughtless click.—
Stu Sjouwerman,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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In a surprising aside given the damaging, lurid testimony in the trial about Combs’ private life, Agnifilo said one of Diddy’s future goals is to perform at one of New York’s most iconic venues again.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
7 Aug. 2025
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Even though plants need sun to grow, too much scorching sunshine can be damaging.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The deals typically provide revenue for the host community while enabling the solar industry to cover essentially useless land with solar panels rather than taking out-of-service farmland, open fields or similar space.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
5 Aug. 2025
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Infrastructure is useless without operators who can manage it.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unhelpful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhelpful. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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