uninviting

American  

[uhn-in-vahy-ting] / ˌʌn ɪnˈvaɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. not 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 • Aug. 23, 2025

Am I the asshole for uninviting them from my upcoming party after they insisted I uninvite the new wife?

From Slate • Apr. 26, 2024

Ahedo’s cone-shaped adobe rooms appeared to have fared fairly well, but Otis blew out windows and the solar panels that had powered his business and turned his pool an uninviting green.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 27, 2023

Animals “are broadening their foraging range and going into more traditionally uninviting and unnatural areas to try to get food and keep alive,” he says.

From Scientific American • Jun. 13, 2023

To the left, it wound into a valley of misty beech trees; to the right, it disappeared up a dank gully, its steep sides an uninviting jumble of moss-covered boulders.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver