UNKINDNESS Synonyms: 108 Similar and Opposite Words

unkindness

noun

as in unconcern

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Dissimilar Words

as in cruelty

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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 unkindness Can the bewitching kindness be disassociated from the defining unkindness at the heart of Southern history, visible in the portraits of Confederates in the lobby of the Lafayette Hotel? — Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025 What starts as a joke can slowly dull empathy, making unkindness feel routine. — Alex Shoemaker, Parents, 28 Aug. 2025 But visual effects provided the heavy lifting where the team, overseen by VFX supervisor Tom Turnbull, filled the sky with CG unkindness and mapped the chaos to characters fighting for their life. — Daron James, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025 That subordinate might go home and treat his spouse with unkindness. — Hasan Ali, Christian Science Monitor, 1 July 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unkindness

Noun

The book’s occasional oases of self-examination are surrounded by dusty expanses of omission and unconcern.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2025
Whatever the reason, Maxwell’s strength and the shark’s apparent unconcern put one of Maxwell’s friends in danger.

— Donald Millus, Outdoor Life, 3 July 2025

Definition of unconcern

Noun

So far, more than 100 officers have completed training on recognizing animal cruelty and collecting evidence, and have been equipped with referrals to resources if no cruelty is found.

— Julie Sharp, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
As Rhaenyra slowly descends into a pit of despair, cruelty and desperation, Daemon and his armies run into some snags on their assault of Tumbleton thanks to the various tricks Lord Ormund has up his sleeves.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruelty

Noun

The thoughtlessness with which this bride coerced you into subsidizing her wedding was stunning.

— Judith Martin, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
Its furnishings were anything but describable, having been conceived, manufactured, shipped, and sold in various states of thoughtlessness, greed, and indifference.

— Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026

Definition of thoughtlessness

Noun

These young graduates start out naive about the heartlessness of the corporate world and harbor illusory hopes for success in unforgiving professions.

— George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
The lives of the two children in the story, aged fourteen and four, are portrayed as being as fleeting as the fireflies, and the story is an unsentimental and unflinching account with moments of both tenderness and heartlessness.

— Ginny Tapley Takemori September 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025

Definition of heartlessness

Noun

It gets filed alongside carelessness, disorganization and not really trying, and the people who display it often apologize for it as though they’d been caught slacking.

— Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Either this is an issue of carelessness or a lack of communication between you and the cleaning service.

— R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of carelessness

Noun

The Very Online meanness, and attendant allegations of sexism and élitism, carries echoes of the rift between the Clintonites and the Bernie Bros; El-Sayed has talked openly of using a victory to shape the 2028 Presidential field.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Sometimes the irony turns bitter and, with a typically Eastern European sensibility, highlights the paradoxes of institutions, as well as the madness and meanness born from the pursuit and preservation of power.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 June 2026

Definition of meanness

Noun

This savagery can last up to a week before the mature larvae fall to the ground.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
While our money would be on The Last Son of Krypton in a main card matchup, Lobo fights dirty with a level of primal savagery that just might put the Big Blue Boy Scout and his cousin down for a few rounds.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 6 June 2026

Definition of savagery

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unkindly

unkindness

unkink

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“Unkindness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unkindness. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of unkindness

noun

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