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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stoic
not feeling or showing emotion
the accused remained affectless throughout the long trial
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
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
-
Yet in 2016-17, free from midweek continental trips, Conte’s side stormed to the title with 93 points, spearheaded by a ruthless Diego Costa.—
Conor O'Neill,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Rendezvous Views The Island has been infused with an abundance of Bars, and now every opportunist is out to hit the jackpot including the ruthless crime kingpin Fletcher Kane.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
His emotions know how to run the gamut from comedy to tragedy, deftly moving past his humorous nature to being more stoic when the heat gets turned up for the Blazing Trojans.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Their more recent public displays of affection are a stark departure from years past, when the Prince and Princess of Wales were typically more stoic in their interactions publicly.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
People.com,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The most intriguing of the Japanese cast is Kasamatsu (a principal character on Max’s Tokyo Vice) as Major Nakamura, a thoughtful man who seems resistant to Colonel Kota’s instruction to be more merciless.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
-
The temptation is too much for a merciless monarch to resist and she's briefed on the details of the team's counter-terrorism assignment.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Over the course of these pictures, Mad Max himself has gone from a man who has lost everything to an existential ghost, a quiet and stony figure with no past and no future.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Needless to say, the comments were met with a stony silence in Europe, and were the strongest signal yet of a widening ideological and geopolitical rift between the two powers since President Donald Trump came to power.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
This gripping series takes viewers into insidious modern-day cults through the unique lens of members who endured unspeakable trauma and the shocking investigations into these oppressive groups.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Dominic Frey is a member of the oppressive class and everything Silas should despise — but now their mutual discretion is all that’s keeping them from punishment for their crimes of passion.—
Olivia Waite,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead of boosting credibility, these repetitive, soulless interactions undermine trust.—
Latane Conant,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
-
And what better opportunity to air grievances than the All-Star break, a soulless cash grab where no one involved seems to actually want to be there.—
Danny Emerman,
The Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Affectless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affectless. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share