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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

  • unaffectedly adverb
  • unaffectedness noun

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

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Emma

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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.

It attaches to and disrupts the membranes of bacteria while leaving human cells unaffected.

From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026

My singing was entirely unaffected, as was my laughter.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

Newcastle's hierarchy have also been personally informed that the club are unaffected.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Tesla stock was unaffected by the drop in early Wednesday trading.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

A poised, unaffected person was never ridiculous, at least in his own mind, Dad told us.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

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.