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

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

Scott, likewise, packs his divisive prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, with a bunch of disposable and largely unsympathetic numbskulls. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024

But many of these same Americans remain oblivious or unsympathetic to the continuing horrors faced by the refugees arriving at their own shores. —Ana Raquel Minian, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2022

In Minnesota, locals could seem largely unsympathetic to the complicated struggles of refugees trying to settle in a strange, new land. —Giang Nguyen-Dien, The Conversation, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above