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Synonyms

unaffected

1 American  
[uhn-uh-fek-tid] / ˌʌn əˈfɛk tɪd /

adjective

  1. free from affectation; sincere; genuine.

    The man showed unaffected grief at the death of his former opponent.

    Synonyms:
    guileless, naive, artless, unfeigned, real, honest, simple, natural, plain
  2. unpretentious, as a personality or literary style.


unaffected 2 American  
[uhn-uh-fek-tid] / ˌʌn əˈfɛk tɪd /

adjective

  1. not affected, acted upon, or influenced; unchanged; unaltered.

    The laboratory clock remained accurate, unaffected by the explosion.

    Synonyms:
    unstirred, untouched, unmoved

unaffected 1 British  
/ ˌʌnəˈfɛktɪd /

adjective

  1. unpretentious, natural, or sincere

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

unaffected 2 British  
/ ˌʌnəˈfɛktɪd /

adjective

  1. not affected

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of unaffected1

First recorded in 1580–90; un- 1 + affected 2

Origin of unaffected2

First recorded in 1580–90; un- 1 + affected 1


Explanation

When bad weather or a mean aunt or some other force takes over and you still don't change, you're unaffected. If your party was unaffected by the rain and Aunt Emma's no-fun attitude, then everyone probably had a good time. Unaffected has other meanings, too. It can mean natural and genuine, or unemotional. If someone says you're unaffected they could mean you're genuine; you don't put on an act for people. Saying you were unaffected by your favorite team's loss means you weren't upset by it.

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Vocabulary lists containing unaffected

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

CBL-514 is designed to target adipocytes, the body's fat-storing cells, while leaving other types of cells unaffected.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

But the Panama Canal Authority said shipping through the channel, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, was unaffected and operating "as normal."

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

It didn’t initially specify which roles would be impacted, only that in-store teams would be unaffected.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

“We are gay, we are Latino, and we are a very specific group. West Hollywood appears to be unaffected by this problem,” Sokol said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

I’m really trying to remain stoic and unaffected.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

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