1
as in unkind
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2
as in uncaring
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Recent Examples of unloving
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
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
Pushed out by an unloving foster family, our heroine bounces from one unhappy situation to another, blithely rising above a string of temporary jobs, unreliable boyfriends, and a stint of streetwalking.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024
Or that his fear of letting go can be traced to various traumas involving his unloving family and his loving but dead wife?
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2023
Strays tells the story of Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell), an adorable terrier abandoned by his unloving owner.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 18 Aug. 2023
The season also has Sam’s father (played by Mike Hagerty, who died before filming) away on a boating trip with his brother, and Sam’s unloving, unhappy mother in a nursing home.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2023
Daisy grows up in Los Angeles feeling hopelessly alone in the home of her wealthy but unloving parents, and as an adult is used by men, with only closeted disco singer Simone (Nabiyah Be) seeing her as a person.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2023
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 17 July 2025
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
Pushed out by an unloving foster family, our heroine bounces from one unhappy situation to another, blithely rising above a string of temporary jobs, unreliable boyfriends, and a stint of streetwalking.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024
Or that his fear of letting go can be traced to various traumas involving his unloving family and his loving but dead wife?
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2023
Strays tells the story of Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell), an adorable terrier abandoned by his unloving owner.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 18 Aug. 2023
The season also has Sam’s father (played by Mike Hagerty, who died before filming) away on a boating trip with his brother, and Sam’s unloving, unhappy mother in a nursing home.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2023
Daisy grows up in Los Angeles feeling hopelessly alone in the home of her wealthy but unloving parents, and as an adult is used by men, with only closeted disco singer Simone (Nabiyah Be) seeing her as a person.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloving
Adjective
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Ones like Michael Dell, from the eponymous hardware company, and Laura Alber, CEO of Williams-Sonoma , and David Joyner from CVS Health , where the kind agentic robots replace the unkind robots who tell you which number to press and please don’t forget the #.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
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That’s sentiment and nostalgia and, in my view, unkind.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In any lesser performance, that character could’ve hardened into a villainous fairy-tale creature, the uncaring mother who has abandoned her child for the sake of her own unnatural career ambitions.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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And you’ll be known in history as the Christmas Miracle, five fragile lives tossed on the treacherous, uncaring currents of history, and the sea.—
Gawon Bae,
CNN Money,
25 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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What does that mean, a spiteful number?—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
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Melvin Williams, a professor of communication and media studies at Pace University, says the spiteful nature of Swift and Lively's texts doesn't reflect well on either woman − and both have probably lost some fans as a result.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Karlsson was on the wrong side of the puck all evening, made careless decisions and generally played a thoughtless game.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Facing the prospect of a return to normalcy, and perhaps emboldened by Yaya’s thoughtless offer to hire Agnes as her assistant, Agnes picks up a rock and prepares to murder the model with it.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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By and large, Kenny comes off as a nice guy, if not a smidge obnoxious.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
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When an obnoxious influencer (Zach Galifianakis, delightfully punchable) dies in a freak accident at her gallery, Polina decides to pass off his corpse as an exhibition centerpiece.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Guests will enjoy the experience free from disruptive behavior, foul language, obscene gestures, fighting, unruly conduct or inconsiderate actions.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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Aggressive, inconsiderate and unsafe operation prevail.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Hogg, who had a brief and tumultuous stint as a DNC co–vice chair in early 2025, is contemptuous of the party’s lingering cohort of elder leaders.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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Written in a joking and contemptuous tone, the tweet would take on an indescribably morbid weight just five days later, when, at the behest of Governor Cláudio Castro, the Rio de Janeiro police carried out the deadliest massacre in the country’s history.—
Evandro Cruz Silva,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Along the way, Daisy and Hoke each will confront, acknowledge and, in a way, overcome their own often-unthinking prejudice.—
Oline Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Feb. 2026
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To stay in that state of unthinking presence was like walking a tightrope only to suddenly look down, panic, and come plunging back to Earth.—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unloving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unloving. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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