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
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
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
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
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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The first risk is asking friends and family to believe in you and cut a check, which can be a humbling and sometimes unkind process.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
12 Aug. 2025
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Silver, which has always been seen as an alternative to gold even to the point of acquiring an unkind nickname of the poor man’s gold, might enable members of the BRIC group to push on with their plan to break free of the dollar.—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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But Season 4 brought a lot of depth to this seemingly incompetent and uncaring character.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
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Toss in an uncaring government agent with an axe to grind.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Maybe the Iranians could propose that name change in spiteful retaliation.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
12 May 2025
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Stewart’s switch from his usual snark to imitate Colbert’s buffoonery proved how spiteful and irreligious political humor has become since the left’s worship of Barack Obama and subsequent persecution of President Trump.—
Armond White,
National Review,
25 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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His wife, Penelope, is fending off a horde of obnoxious suitors trying to take his throne, while their son, Telemachus, grows up wondering if his father is still alive.—
Mekishana Pierre Published,
EW.com,
17 July 2025
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Genovese deals with this quite cleverly, putting those obnoxious anthropomorphic emotions to good use in the end.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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But going barefoot on a plane isn’t just inconsiderate to fellow passengers (because of course your feet couldn’t possibly stink)—it’s also pretty unhygienic.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Aug. 2025
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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,
9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The lawsuit plaintiffs certainly don’t see any benefit to being represented in any capacity by an organization whose leaders are openly contemptuous of their faith, their values and their culture.—
Jeff Rhodes,
Oc Register,
30 July 2025
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In dealing with this Administration, with its maximalist conception of executive authority and its contemptuous attitude toward the judiciary, the Justices are being played for fools.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But Russians are also considered by their leaders as an unthinking mass that must blindly follow their leader.—
Andrei Kolesnikov,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Apr. 2022
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There’s the interest in Britney Spears and pop icons who had been assumed to be vacant, unthinking ingénues.—
Brandon Tensley,
CNN,
23 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Unloving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unloving. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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