uninviting

American  

[uhn-in-vahy-ting] / ˌʌn ɪnˈvaɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. not inviting; inviting; unpleasant.

   a region with an uninviting climate.

   Synonyms:

   disagreeable, unattractive, unappealing

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uninviting British  

/ ˌʌnɪnˈvaɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. not tempting, alluring, or attractive

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Other Word Forms

• uninvitingly adverb
• uninvitingness noun

Etymology

Origin of uninviting

First recorded in 1680–90; un- ¹ + inviting

Example Sentences

The island, given an appropriately sickly, uninviting sheen by cinematographer Mathias Herndl, clearly wasn’t big enough for all of these new-world experimenters.

From Los Angeles Times

Charlie English begins “The CIA Book Club” by describing a 1970s technical manual: a dull cover, as uninviting as anything.

From Los Angeles Times

Miles, who was known as Tank at the time, had a skull-and-crossbones collar and a tendency to snarl and growl from his bed in an uninviting manner.

From Seattle Times

She looked at the old couch in the otherwise empty lobby, the outdated travel posters on the wall, and the rather uninviting bowl of hard candy sitting on the counter.

From Literature

From here, the mountains’ south-facing slopes might appear dry and even dull, uninviting to people who spend a lifetime in L.A. without ever seeing the greener, snowier northern slopes.

From Los Angeles Times