unsympathetic
Americanadjective
adjective
-
not characterized by, feeling, or showing sympathy
-
not showing agreement (with) or favour (towards)
Other Word Forms
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.
According to the complaint, Prabhakar had taught the story for nearly a decade without incident and used it in a unit on unsympathetic and unreliable narrators alongside works by Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
As a result, he injected levity into a role that could have come across as purely unsympathetic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
The neighbors weren’t unsympathetic, nor were they impractical.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
Their protestations to the contrary fall on unsympathetic ears.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025
I could not tell her that I did not want the regent to arrange a bride for me under any circumstances, as she would naturally have been unsympathetic.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
