unkindly
Americanadjective
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not kindly; unkind; ill-natured.
-
inclement or bleak, as weather or climate.
-
unfavorable for crops.
unkindly soil.
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unkindly
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at un- 1, kindly
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.
Her inflated self-esteem is a force of nature never wielded unkindly, unless provoked.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026
Tabloids and magazines regularly reported on the state of the relationship, often unkindly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
As a reader might gather, “Neighbors” falls into the category of what is unkindly categorized as freak-show documentary—the characters are objects of morbid curiosity or, maybe, pathos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
History books—the serious ones, the sorts of histories that they might read from time to time—will treat them very unkindly.
From Slate ● Dec. 13, 2023
“All right,” said Professor McGonagall, not unkindly, “go up to the hospital wing, please, Leanne, and get Madam Pomfrey to give you something for shock.”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
