1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
gave them an unsympathetic look and pointed out that they'd brought the problem on themselves
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in icy
lacking in friendliness or warmth of feeling
an aloof and unsympathetic man who does not engage in small talk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in hostile
marked by opposition or ill will
a bohemian artist who found the unsympathetic environment of the small town too much to bear
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in negative
opposed to one's interests
an unsympathetic reaction to her proposal to ban trans fats from the company cafeteria
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsympathetic
Noah Baumbach loves to find sympathy in unsympathetic subjects—the awkward title character of Greenberg, the caustic writer played by Nicole Kidman in Margot at the Wedding, the bitter divorced couple of Marriage Story.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2025
Many young consumers, already juggling high costs for food, rent, and education, and crushed by an unsympathetic labor market, are entering adulthood with the self-care budget of a socialite twice their age.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025
The petulant, back-stabby intrigue between various parties here sometimes makes the hero rather unsympathetic, with photogenic singer-actor Pena Hernandez’s puppyish turn not conveying a great deal of complexity, let alone artistic o intellectual potential.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
What if your neighbor is unsympathetic?
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsympathetic
David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2025
Many young consumers, already juggling high costs for food, rent, and education, and crushed by an unsympathetic labor market, are entering adulthood with the self-care budget of a socialite twice their age.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025
The petulant, back-stabby intrigue between various parties here sometimes makes the hero rather unsympathetic, with photogenic singer-actor Pena Hernandez’s puppyish turn not conveying a great deal of complexity, let alone artistic o intellectual potential.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
What if your neighbor is unsympathetic?
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsympathetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsympathetic
Adjective
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There’s also just one overwhelming evil force in this play — the Nazis — whereas Dumas had his musketeers fighting not just ruthless government officials but royalty, religious leaders and nobles.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
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With a lesser interpreter in the role, Eva might have read more reductively as just a ruthless bureaucratic leader.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Creature repays the favor by using his strength to free the ship from its icy prison.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Mar. 2026
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But the growing body of evidence — including its comet-like tail, gas jets and molecular composition — strongly indicates that the object is a natural icy body.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Handling a hostile environment Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said his team knew what to expect from Bobcat Ballpark.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
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Brasília was built from scratch, in the middle of nowhere, in the hostile climate of the Cerrado—a savanna-like biome—hundreds of miles from any highway, railway, or airport.—
Sophia La Banca,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Their advocacy reflects a growing consensus that social media’s negative effects on kids’ mental health and social lives outweigh the benefits.—
Ramesh Ponnuru,
Washington Post,
12 Mar. 2026
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Average negative evaluation stood at 67 percent.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In between, the Ball Arena patrons were merciless in their jeering of the officials.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
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Against some audiences’ will, Ari Aster’s merciless black comedy drags us back to May 2020 when tempers, temperatures and misinformation were heating up across America.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Whoever wins in November will fly to Sacramento to face the mess left behind by a governor departed for the frigid Iowa campaign hustings.—
John Seiler,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
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On a calm, frigid afternoon, Matthews showed me the array and pointed out that the aircraft radar was on, to make sure that no errant pilot tried to fly overhead.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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El Nino conditions often suppress activity during the Atlantic hurricane season by producing unfavorable atmospheric winds.—
Dan Peck,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
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But the plain facts of the situation are obviously unfavorable to American interests.—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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With a 15 percent slope and soils consisting of shattered rock and very stony loam with a small percentage of clay, the soil is low in organic matter and drains extremely well.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
22 Feb. 2026
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The sculptor, David Adickes, was an Army veteran who'd wanted his stony visages to gleam.—
Danielle Paquette The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsympathetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsympathetic. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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