unsympathetic

adjective

un·​sym·​pa·​thet·​ic ˌən-ˌsim-pə-ˈthe-tik 

: not given to, marked by, or arising from sympathy : not sympathetic

an unsympathetic bystander

an unsympathetic review

unsympathetically

ˌən-ˌsim-pə-ˈthe-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

commenting unsympathetically

Synonyms

• affectless
• callous
• case-hardened
• cold-blooded
• compassionless
• desensitized
• hard
• hard-boiled
• hard-hearted
• heartless
• indurate
• inhuman
• inhumane
• insensate
• insensitive
• ironhearted
• merciless
• obdurate
• pachydermatous
• pitiless
• remorseless
• ruthless
• slash-and-burn
• soulless
• stony
• stoney
• stonyhearted
• take-no-prisoners
• thick-skinned
• uncharitable
• unfeeling
• unmerciful
• unsparing

Examples of unsympathetic in a Sentence

gave them an unsympathetic look and pointed out that they'd brought the problem on themselves

an aloof and unsympathetic man who does not engage in small talk

a bohemian artist who found the unsympathetic environment of the small town too much to bear

an unsympathetic reaction to her proposal to ban trans fats from the company cafeteria

Recent Examples on the Web

People filled comment sections for videos and posts about the shooting with unsympathetic replies, pointing out UnitedHealthcare’s reputation for denying claims, and ruminating on how much suffering Thompson was responsible for at the helm of the company. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2024

Conservative Supreme Court justices on Monday focused in on this same issue, but a majority of the bench was unsympathetic to the argument. —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024

True-crime cases are always a mix of human interest and forensics, as evidenced by the series’s focus on the media’s portrayals of the Ramseys as unsympathetic. —Alessa Dominguez, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024

A lot of us thought, wow, if there’s really sort of this unsympathetic movement toward prisoners, what does that say? —Miranda Kennedy, Vox, 17 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above