1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
an affectless analysis of the cost of the war purely in pecuniary terms
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stoic
not feeling or showing emotion
the accused remained affectless throughout the long trial
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of affectless
The use of an A.I. program to replicate Warhol’s flat, affectless speech to read the diary entries had a strangely fitting logic.
—
Steve Dollar, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022
His paintings borrowed aspects of photographic vision (arbitrary cropping, dissonant overlap) and even photographic sensibility (cool, affectless, mechanical).
—Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2021
Mumblecore veteran Sheil, with her Raphaelite curtain of hair and almost affectless voice, can be an opaque heroine, and the plot, as far as there is one, feels halting at first, the dialogue choppy and unreal.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 30 July 2020
Johnny Flynn’s affectless monotone was crisp, clear, and cheery.
—Adrienne So, Wired, 1 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for affectless
Steve Dollar, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022
His paintings borrowed aspects of photographic vision (arbitrary cropping, dissonant overlap) and even photographic sensibility (cool, affectless, mechanical).
—Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2021
Mumblecore veteran Sheil, with her Raphaelite curtain of hair and almost affectless voice, can be an opaque heroine, and the plot, as far as there is one, feels halting at first, the dialogue choppy and unreal.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 30 July 2020
Johnny Flynn’s affectless monotone was crisp, clear, and cheery.
—Adrienne So, Wired, 1 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for affectless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affectless
Adjective
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Whoever sells the most wins a car; whoever sells the least is out of a job – a ruthless environment where each character will do anything to come out on top.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Mar. 2025
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The film, inspired by the true story of a ruthless Hawaiian crime boss, promises to be a gripping portrayal of organized crime in the island paradise.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And Susie Cullen’s production design turns typical markers of a fine-dining environment — windowless bathroom stalls; orange mood lighting; a stoic staff — into elements of a garish nightmare.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
10 Mar. 2025
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However, his recent frustration and hunger for a win has left him breaking from his usual stoic self.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Back then, residents of the burgeoning Los Angeles area had no idea a merciless killer was lurking in their midst until Feb. 2, 1928, when the headless, naked body of a teenage boy was found in a ditch on a dusty road near the sleepy suburb of La Puente.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
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The draft being held in Pittsburgh meant the Flyers were subject to merciless booing.—
Joshua Kloke,
The Athletic,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Sam Teicher, chief reef officer at Coral Vita, emphasized in an email interview that decades of degradation have wiped out at least 80% of the Bahamas' coral reefs, a crisis exacerbated by events like Hurricane Dorian and the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease.—
Emese Maczko,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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There was some stony silence that seemed to annoy Trump.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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These were the years in which capitalism shed its pitiless light on the absurd British soul, with its deep striations of caste and station, its postcolonial taint, most of all its perverted emotional core, full of love and loathing for its own extremes of domination and servitude.—
Rachel Cusk,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
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Achyut Kumar plays Prabhu, a pitiless small-town businessman running for local office with the help of his right-hand enforcer, Malabari (Dileesh Pothan).—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The triangle was turned right-side-up to show that gay people were standing up to oppressive forces.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
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My parents came here from Syria, carrying their stories of the oppressive regime there that made life unlivable.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That puts it a long way from such soulless efforts as Dumbo, Pinocchio or either of the recent Alice in Wonderland movies.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
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There will still be Beltway-bandit consulting firms soaking up some of the work previously done by government workers and national security contractors lining the soulless highway approach to Dulles airport.—
Alec MacGillis,
ProPublica,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Affectless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affectless. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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