unwelcome
Britishadjective
-
(of persons) not welcome
-
causing dissatisfaction or displeasure
Other Word Forms
- unwelcomely adverb
- unwelcomeness noun
Explanation
Things that are unwelcome are unpleasant or objectionable in some way. An unwelcome guest is one you didn't invite and you're not particularly happy to see. People are sometimes unwelcome, like your boring cousin who shows up unexpectedly for a long visit at the worst time. Things can also be unwelcome, like bad news or heckling from the audience during your stand-up comedy routine. Anything you don't wish for and don't appreciate can be described as unwelcome. Welcome has its roots in the Old English wilcuma, a friendly greeting and earlier "a welcome guest," from willa, "pleasure or choice," and cuma, "guest."
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.
It marked a sharp turn away from the US to China, and a particularly unwelcome one for American car firms, which have long dominated the Canadian market.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
The cost of gasoline hit an unwelcome benchmark in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday as the average price per gallon officially reached the $6 mark, according to the American Automobile Assn.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
“This is very unwelcome for European industry, to put it mildly,” said Claus Vistesen, chief eurozone economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
That bankruptcy-related delay triggered this unwelcome outcome, so your frustration is perfectly valid, not that knowing that helps you now.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026
He’s got Noise pouring outta him like a bright parade, all full of unwelcome welcome and pushy good feeling.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
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.
