Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Lacking kindness; inconsiderate or unsympathetic.
  • adjective Harsh; severe.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not natural; unnatural.
  • Not sympathetic; lacking in or not springing from or exhibiting kindness, benevolence, or affection; not kind; harsh; cruel.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Obs. & R. Having no race or kindred; childless.
  • adjective obsolete Not kind; contrary to nature, or the law of kind or kindred; unnatural.
  • adjective Wanting in kindness, sympathy, benevolence, gratitude, or the like; cruel; harsh; unjust; ungrateful.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective obsolete Having no race or kindred; childless.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective lacking kindness
  • adjective deficient in humane and kindly feelings

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From un- +‎ kind.

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Examples

  • Man-unkind is still too motivated by selfishness and greed to change course.

    Think Progress » Hastert meets with ExxonMobil CEO. 2006

  • Children and servants are not exceptions to this general rule; and those of us who indulge in unkind expressions towards each other, lower ourselves more than we can, perhaps, understand in the opinions of those about us.

    A Manual of Etiquette with Hints on Politeness and Good Breeding Sophia Orne 1873

  • As therein unkind to his family, for he entails a curse upon it.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon) 1721

  • I always use "unkind" -- it feels satisfyingly quaint.

    Gawker Reckoning - Anil Dash 2007

  • They need to ask themselves if they want to be forever known as unkind and uncaring, the lawmakers who while spending untold hundreds of billions of dollars to wage an unpopular war refused to approve a couple of extra billion over five years to provide health insurance for uncovered American children.

    Leo W. Gerard: Congress is Daring to Knock the Chip Off Bush's Shoulder 2008

  • Thoughtless, yes, but no one could ever call her unkind.

    The Best and The Brightest SUSAN WRIGHT 1998

  • Also even a so-called unkind fate loses much of its power to wound, for the higher man rises into union with God and Infinite

    Within You is the Power Henry Thomas Hamblin

  • Many an hour have we two walked upon the deck dissecting our neighbours in a spirit that was too purely scientific to be called unkind; whenever a quaint or human trait slipped out in conversation, you might have seen Jones and me exchanging glances; and we could hardly go to bed in comfort till we had exchanged notes and discussed the day's experience.

    Essays of Travel Robert Louis Stevenson 1872

  • Reichardt's film could almost be called unkind as it slowly drags the viewer through the tedious realism of Wendy's worsening situation: her car breaks down, she gets busted shoplifting, and most anxiety-producing of all, Lucy goes missing.

    Portland Mercury 2009

  • Location: sarnia the tonal characteristics of marshall mg's have been described as unkind by many a player

    All Updates @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com 2009

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