unbothered
Americanadjective
-
not experiencing mental or physical discomfort: He was unbothered about not being picked for the team.
He was unbothered by the cold.
He was unbothered about not being picked for the team.
-
Slang. indifferent to criticism or negative comments; not annoyed or provoked: They swear they’re unbothered, but they care.
She was unbothered by her many haters.
They swear they’re unbothered, but they care.
Usage
What does unbothered mean? Unbothered means not experiencing any discomfort—physically, emotionally, or in another other way. If you’re unbothered, nothing is bothering you. To be bothered by something is to be worried about it or to feel discomfort from it in some way. Unbothered is especially used in the context of things that could hurt or bother a person but don’t, as in I’m unbothered by the pain, honestly—it’s the waiting that gets to me. Unbothered is also commonly used in a more informal way to mean completely unaffected by or indifferent to a bad or difficult situation or poor treatment, such as criticism or negative comments. In this way, it means something like nonchalant, as in You seem so unbothered—how can you be so chill about it?Unbothered can be followed by the source of the discomfort, as in He seems unbothered by the attention, or it can be used by itself, as in He seems completely unbothered. Example: Although Sarah desperately wanted the promotion, she did her best to seem unbothered when it was awarded to Jack.
Etymology
Origin of unbothered
First recorded in 1900–10; un- 1 ( def. ) + bother ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
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.
While Park, 49, believes Macklemore's ouster was unfair and a violation of free speech, she said she's mostly unbothered by the drama and prefers to separate the artist from the art.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
It’s the same pattern I found this summer in Taiwan’s temples, thick with incense and unbothered worshippers, versus the mainland faith largely dismantled in the Cultural Revolution and revived only under the party’s careful management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
For hours, they stood unbothered — and then LCD Soundsystem took the stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Many attendees were unbothered by the recent illnesses.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
He seemed unbothered by the adjacent jungle, but he did look fatigued.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
