unkindly
Americanadjective
-
not kindly; unkind; ill-natured.
-
inclement or bleak, as weather or climate.
-
unfavorable for crops.
unkindly soil.
adverb
Other Word Forms
Derived 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
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
I've been to the unkindly nicknamed Silicon Roundabout tech hub in east London, and the beautifully titled Silicon Glen in Scotland.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2023
“I chose you,” Gwydion said, not unkindly, “more for your sword than for your harp.”
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
