as in neutral
showing little or no interest or enthusiasm
my suggestion that we go to see the new action flick was greeted with an unenthusiastic shrug
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Recent Examples of unenthusiastic
As the choral conductor has enlisted and must be replaced, the unenthusiastic choice is Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Henry Guthrie, who has several marks against him.
—
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
Cracker Barrel statement doesn't satisfy naysayers Reactions to the announcement were largely unenthusiastic, with many fans accusing the chain of ignoring their concerns and calling for a return to the old brand design.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 26 Aug. 2025
There's only so much one can glean from the preseason, but performance reviews for Maye have been unenthusiastic at best.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
And yet many people were unenthusiastic about the economy as a whole.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unenthusiastic
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
Cracker Barrel statement doesn't satisfy naysayers Reactions to the announcement were largely unenthusiastic, with many fans accusing the chain of ignoring their concerns and calling for a return to the old brand design.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 26 Aug. 2025
There's only so much one can glean from the preseason, but performance reviews for Maye have been unenthusiastic at best.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
And yet many people were unenthusiastic about the economy as a whole.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unenthusiastic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unenthusiastic
Adjective
-
Those ratings create an estimate of how many goals each team is expected to score and allow in a game against an average opponent at a neutral site.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
As for footwear, Queen Maxima opted for a pair of tan leather pointed toe pumps for a neutral addition to her springtime apparel, courtesy of Gianvito Rossi.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Even so, support for Bass has been tepid and many voters view her unfavorably.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Yet, the other five matches show tepid demand.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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Through all these threads, The Audacity throws itself headlong at some of tech’s biggest hot-button topics, including privacy, AI and, in an oddly halfhearted subplot involving JoAnne’s son, Everett Bliunck’s Orson, the manosphere, with an eye as cold as its characters.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
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Alex Bregman was the one who got away, the All-Star third baseman the club tried to sign in spring training with a halfhearted contract proposal that would be rejected.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
On Wednesday, Polis spokesman Eric Maruyama referred The Denver Post to an earlier, lukewarm statement on the bill.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
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But Sturm sounded somewhat lukewarm about it for the near future.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unenthusiastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unenthusiastic. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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