unwelcome
Britishadjective
-
(of persons) not welcome
-
causing dissatisfaction or displeasure
Other Word Forms
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.
The unwelcome trajectory for mortgage rates overshadows some positive news for home buyers: the recovery in housing supply, which has been constrained over the past few years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
The Green leader said "no-one will be made unwelcome because of their background, their faith, or where they worship".
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
When the professional cost of publishing an unwelcome finding exceeds the cost of suppressing it, rational scholars suppress it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
As temperature soared and Angelenos wilted on Sunday, forecasters had an unwelcome message: Another week of heat is coming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
She felt a hard determination growing in her, and though the feeling was new, it was not unwelcome.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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.
