as in unloving
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Recent Examples of unaffectionate
But in conversations with his long-suffering wife Louisa and his stern mother Abigail Adams, a less noble side of the man is laid bare: absentee husband, cold, unaffectionate father and inflexible, unlikable politician.
—
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2020
Seward says Diana told her about her ex-husband's unaffectionate childhood with parents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 21 Sep. 2020
Kyung, a Korean-American, grew up financially comfortable — surrounded by tutors, music lessons and other markers of success — but in loveless, unaffectionate surroundings.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 11 May 2017
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2020
Seward says Diana told her about her ex-husband's unaffectionate childhood with parents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 21 Sep. 2020
Kyung, a Korean-American, grew up financially comfortable — surrounded by tutors, music lessons and other markers of success — but in loveless, unaffectionate surroundings.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 11 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unaffectionate
Adjective
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And at its head, always, sits Adele’s husband Caesar (Tommaso Ragno), a stern but not unloving patriarch with the sonorous voice of a man used to being obeyed, who runs the local one-room school where all of his kids, bar his youngest, sickly infant, are taught the same lessons regardless of age.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2024
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Money notwithstanding, another possible explanation for the Fletcher kids’ unhappiness as adults is that their parents were simply bad parents, distant and unloving.—
Adelle Waldman,
The Atlantic,
9 July 2024
Adjective
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But Pitt has also always been a little aloof, capable of enormous charm but always keeping aspects of himself in reserve — which is why his unrufflable cool guys have always been better with a foil.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
26 June 2025
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Hayk, a withdrawn and aloof child, lives on a farm with his aunt Narine and gets mocked and called strange by others.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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The recent 12-day military conflict between Israel and Iran caused concerns about an economically unfriendly oil shock.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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Advertisement Both the Democratic Party and its voters are seen as unfriendly toward Christianity.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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But Season 4 brought a lot of depth to this seemingly incompetent and uncaring character.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
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Toss in an uncaring government agent with an axe to grind.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Van Aert has outperformed Van der Poel at Grand Tours, with the Belgian reminding the world of his innate class at May’s Giro d’Italia despite two years of indifferent form.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
3 July 2025
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This was for people who were indifferent to their lawns, not wanting to put much effort into maintaining them.—
Chris McKeown,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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But the injured cat appeared only once, uninterested in the trap.—
David W. Brown,
New Yorker,
5 July 2025
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Lying in the bed, refusing to move, is a cocker spaniel who looks thoroughly uninterested in playing.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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As a member of a crew that robs banks, Mr. Blonde is the most ruthless.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 July 2025
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As they’re hunted by a ruthless drug gang led by the menacing Power (Aidan Gillen), their fight for survival becomes a journey of redemption.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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From Hollywood's Golden Age and the '70s catastrophe obsession to today, these films have unearthed every pitiless corner of nature's wrath, from towering tsunamis and viral pandemics to all-out apocalypses and more.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
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They were born out of a pitiless epidemic, as a poignant yet futile attempt to allow his subjects to live forever on film.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unaffectionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unaffectionate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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