UNHELPFUL Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

unhelpful

adjective

Definition of unhelpful

as in harmful

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

as in impractical

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

as in impolite

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 unhelpful Mikel Arteta has spent years stripping unhelpful sentimentality out of Arsenal. — James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 Wall Street may now be wondering why one of its own is proving so surprisingly unhelpful. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026 Payroll trend, revisions, hours worked, and the hiring rate all lead it, and all four are currently pointing the same unhelpful direction. — Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Adri Salido / Getty Images The crisis has fueled anti-immigration rhetoric throughout Europe and sparked diplomatic tensions within the European Union over border policy, with Spain accusing some partners of an unhelpful and polarizing response. — Reuters, NBC news, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unhelpful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhelpful

Adjective

Unresolved issues run the gamut, from antitrust protections to chip export controls to whether existing consumer laws are sufficient to protect people from harmful AI.

— Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
For example, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed multiple AI bills into law, including Adam's Law, which requires AI chatbot makers to protect minors from harmful interactions.

— Lora Kolodny,Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of harmful

Adjective

First glimpsed in The Empire Strikes Back and heavily featured in Return of the Jedi are typical of the Empire; designed to instil fear, but laughably impractical.

— Chris McMullen, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Without the proper port facilities, regulations, safety protocols, and other essentials, nuclear cargo ships are as impractical as steamships without coal or oil refueling stations.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of impractical

Adjective

Joyful noise and other, impolite sounds radiated from the sets oscillating between the two sites.

— Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
Simply hide the ninja figures and wait for your unsuspecting victim to walk by when out of nowhere, the motion activation lets loose a very impolite noise sure to have your kids rolling.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of impolite

Adjective

The Raiders caught Johnson in unfavorable mismatches a few times and exploited it.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
Good opportunities should create attractive potential upside without placing the organization in a position where one unfavorable outcome becomes catastrophic.

— Brian Ferdinand, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of unfavorable

Adjective

There’s a brief pause, and then my phone goes haywire, inundated with Bluetooth signal spam — new Airpods connections, contact requests, an avalanche of popups that make my phone basically unusable until Hedge shuts it off.

— Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026
Phoenix Semiconductor engineers helped NAVAIR recover a supply of unusable legacy chips for a safety-critical system on the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of unusable

Adjective

At the outset of this chatty novel, the protagonist, Caroline, who was recently ghosted by a thoughtless man, has had a story published in this magazine.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
That self-deprecating description opens Tony, writer-director Matt Johnson’s movie about the one crazy summer that changed a thoughtless young lout’s life; for good measure, the quote does double duty as the tagline on the film’s poster.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of thoughtless

Adjective

Analysts who have followed Saab’s relationship with Maduro have said his testimony could be particularly damaging if prosecutors call him as a witness at Maduro’s narcoterrorism trial in New York.

— Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
The storms carry a limited damaging wind risk of up to 60 mph, officials said.

— Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of damaging

Browse Nearby Words

unheeding

unhelpful

unheralded

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“Unhelpful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhelpful. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unhelpful

adjective

Example Sentences

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