unattractive
Britishadjective
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not appealing to the senses or mind through beauty, form, character, etc
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not arousing interest
an unattractive proposition
Explanation
Unattractive means "unappealing" or "ugly." The cake you baked for you best friend's birthday may be lopsided and unattractive, but she won't care if it tastes delicious. It's not very nice to describe people as unattractive — you're basically saying they're not pretty or handsome. But inanimate objects can also be unattractive if they're not pleasant to look at, like the unattractive cactus on your coffee table. And other things are unattractive because they offer no benefits or advantages: "I wanted that job until he offered me an unattractive salary."
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.
“We cherish pleasure,” the authors write unabashedly, “and believe a politics without it will be unattractive, drab, listless, and doomed to failure.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
The Vanguard Consumer Staples Index exchange-traded fund has ripped higher—and looks unattractive.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
If the dollar is unattractive as a portfolio hedge, the more incentive there is to reduce dollar exposure.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026
And when that accident happened, she felt so unattractive to him.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025
In contrast to the unattractive side street outside the window of Bókin, the library’s window provided a view of the fishing trawlers docked in the bay, and the mountains just beyond the water.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
