unpleasantness

[ uhn-plez-uhnt-nis ]

noun

1. the quality or state of being unpleasant.
2. something that is displeasing or offensive, as an experience, event, or situation:

   An unpleasantness made them ill-at-ease.

3. an unpleasant feeling or sensation caused by disagreeable or painful stimuli.

Word History and Origins

Origin of unpleasantness¹

First recorded in 1540–50; unpleasant + -ness

Example Sentences

We are doing OK in terms of lives lost and severe infections but we’re clearly not doing OK with the number of infections and the unpleasantness that causes.

From Voice of San Diego

The word acts as a tidy container for all the unpleasantness people with that condition may experience—from their symptoms, to the cost of their care, to the restrictions imposed on their lifestyle, to the health complications that may arise.

From Time

That ephemeral unpleasantness will strengthen the relationship, and those benefits are long-term.

From Popular-Science

When a stressor — like witnessing a climate catastrophe firsthand or worrying about those affected — causes us to panic, or we become numb to avoid the unpleasantness of it, we become dysregulated.

From Washington Post

It will save a lot of unpleasantness should the soundproofing work so well Mom thinks now’s the time to ask what you want for breakfast.

From Washington Blade

People who know him speak of a relaxed and charming man, remarkably free of arrogance or unpleasantness.

From The Daily Beast

However, this unpleasantness has never prevented me from recognizing the merit of Murray's early scholarly work.

From The Daily Beast

“You have to do what you feel is right,” he said of the recent unpleasantness.

From The Daily Beast

“Yeah, I would say that there were bursts of unpleasantness,” he admits.

From The Daily Beast

“These are people who avoid the whole unpleasantness by just creating a specific strategy for doing their taxes,” says Markman.

From The Daily Beast

"To the best of my recollection, I have never suffered the unpleasantness of meeting you in my life," he said.

From Project Gutenberg

A struggle which might involve Eva in bitter unpleasantness and me in the loss of a fortune I had come to regard almost as my own.

From Project Gutenberg

And the good lady was no more inclined than her son to take trouble and expose herself to unpleasantness for any one else's sake.

From Project Gutenberg

"The late unpleasantness," said Finnegan, with an expelling wave of his hand.

From Project Gutenberg

It was with some difficulty, and not without unpleasantness, that we backed out of the engagement we had deliberately made.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• animosity
• antagonism