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Synonyms

unkind

American  
[uhn-kahynd] / ʌnˈkaɪnd /

adjective

unkinder, unkindest

  1. lacking in kindness or mercy; severe.

unkind British  
/ ʌnˈkaɪnd /

adjective

  1. lacking kindness; unsympathetic or cruel

  2. archaic

    1. (of weather) unpleasant

    2. (of soil) hard to cultivate

"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

  • unkindly adverb
  • unkindness noun

Etymology

Origin of unkind

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; un- 1, kind 1

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.

An unkind reader might even say that it’s a rehash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

"Pat coached, befriended and mentored countless students throughout the years and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone anywhere who has an unkind word to say about him," his family wrote.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025

He also shares a desire to cultivate more patience and to become more willing to challenge unkind behavior.

From Science Daily • Dec. 13, 2025

It was certainly true his book could be unkind and gossipy, but that was why the public, which likely had trouble sorting out the details of crystallography and hydrogen bonds, loved it.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025

There’s something unkind about the set of his face.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

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.