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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:

It confirmed surrounding wetland areas were unaffected by the fire.

From BBC Aug. 10, 2026

Similar grants for red states were unaffected, he said.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 28, 2026

In the U.S., prices for potash fertilizer were largely unaffected by the conflict.

From MarketWatch Jul. 24, 2026

Repsol has no assets in the Middle East, and so has seen production broadly unaffected by the war this year.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 23, 2026

She’d been awake longer than anyone, had already bathed and dressed in the fresh clothes Rhonda had given her, and—apparently unaffected by the storm—was in a much better mood than the others.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

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