unhelpful

adjective

un·​help·​ful ˌən-ˈhelp-fəl How to pronounce unhelpful (audio)
 Southern often  -ˈhep-,
 also  -ˈheəp-
: offering no assistance : not helpful
a rude, unhelpful person
a confusing and unhelpful textbook
unhelpfully adverb
unhelpfulness noun

Examples of unhelpful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Be careful, though, not to let a rant become your reality: Your letter is brimming with unhelpful generalizations — that men are pigs, for instance — and logical inconsistencies. Philip Galanes, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025 Research published in 2022 in found that by embracing vulnerability, couples can break away from unhelpful and habitual patterns of interaction. Mark Travers, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025 This campaign has felt strenuous due to an unhelpful mixture of injuries (discussed below) and game-changing decisions. James McNicholas, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025 Read: Couples therapy, but for siblings Meanwhile, your mom is playing an unhelpful role by asking you to make things right despite the way you’ve been treated. Lori Gottlieb, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for unhelpful

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhelpful was circa 1616

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Cite this Entry

“Unhelpful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhelpful. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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