unsympathetic
Britishadjective
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not characterized by, feeling, or showing sympathy
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not showing agreement (with) or favour (towards)
Explanation
When someone doesn't seem to care about the misfortunes of others, they're unsympathetic. If you yawn while your friend is crying about her lost cat, you'll come across as terribly unsympathetic. There are a few ways to use unsympathetic. If you lack sympathy (a feeling of sadness on behalf of someone else), you're unsympathetic: "I'm unsympathetic about her missing cashmere scarf, since I happen to know she has three more at home." It can also mean "unappealing" or "unlikeable." Darth Vader, up to a point, is a decidedly unsympathetic movie character. Finally, it can mean "disapproving," as in your unsympathetic opinion of an elected official whose policies you disagree with.
Vocabulary lists containing unsympathetic
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.
Jonathan Glatzer’s AMC series stars Billy Magnussen as a tech CEO surrounded by questionable, unsympathetic characters.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
The neighbors weren’t unsympathetic, nor were they impractical.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
Unionists, who wished to preserve Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K., were largely unsympathetic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026
Asked why her government was unsympathetic to this reasoning - why anything short of a ban was unacceptable - Wells said the tech companies have had plenty of time to improve their practices.
From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025
Ghiscari faces were visible on the terraces, looking down with cool and unsympathetic eyes.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
