unkindly
/ʌnˈkaɪndli/
unkindly adjective: not kind, lacking in friendliness, warm-heartedness or sympathy.
Adjective
unkindly (comparative more unkindly, superlative most unkindly)
- Not kind, lacking in friendliness, warm-heartedness or sympathy.
- Preceded by the beadle, and attended by an irregular procession of stern-browed men and unkindly visaged women, Hester Prynne set forth towards the place appointed for her punishment.1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, chapter 2, in The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC
- […] she had seen a not unkindly wink pass between the two.1906, E. Nesbit, chapter 4, in The Railway Children
- Rough, unfavourable, bad.
- From this superfluous pulp in unkindely, and wet years, may arise that multiplicity of little insects, which infest the Roots and Sprouts of tender Graines and pulses.1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter III.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 130
- Unkindly cold and tempest shrill / In life’s morn oft the traveller chill,1789, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Anthem for the Children of Christ’s Hospital”, in The Poetical Works of S. T. Coleridge, volume 1, London: William Pickering, published 1834, page 5
- Unnatural, contrary to the natural or proper order of things.
- That detestable sight him much amazde, / To see th’vnkindly Impes of heauen accurst, / Deuoure their dam;1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 10
- […] the want of mercy in a Father, is more unkindly, more unseemly, more unnatural than in another man […]1678, Robert Sanderson, Nine Cases of Conscience Occasionally Determined, London: H. Brome et al., p. 128
Adverb
unkindly (comparative more unkindly, superlative most unkindly)
- In an unkind manner.
- Good master, take it not unkindly, pray, / That I have been thus pleasant [i.e. joking] with you both.c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- […] I had over-heard them ſeveral times talking very Unkindly about me; […]1722 (indicated as 1721), [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. […], London: […] W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […]; and T. Edling, […], published 1722, →OCLC, page...
- In an unnatural manner.
- All th’ unaccomplisht works of Natures hand, / Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly mixt, / Dissolvd on earth, fleet hither, and in vain, / Till final dissolution, wander here,1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
unkindly meaning in Tamil
unkindly in Tamil
- இரக்கமில்லாது, இரக்கமற்ற
Examples of unkindly in a sentence
- She is conscientious, and I have no fear of her treating him unkindly.1868–1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, Little Women: […], (please specify |part=1 or 2), Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC:
- Chester and Prideaux were dragged firmly but not unkindly down the stairs and out through the door.1918, Rose Macaulay, chapter 11, in What Not, London: Constable, page 222:
Antonyms of unkindly
Forms of unkindly
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more unkindly |
| superlative | most unkindly |
| Adverb | |
| comparative | more unkindly |
| superlative | most unkindly |
Origin of unkindly
From Middle English unkyndely, from Old English unġecyndelīċ; equivalent to un- + kindly (adjective).
From Middle English unkyndely, from Old English unġecyndelīċe; equivalent to un- + kindly (adverb) or unkind + -ly.
Words formed from unkindly
Questions about unkindly
- What does unkindly mean?
- Unkindly means not kind, lacking in friendliness, warm-heartedness or sympathy.
- What is unkindly in Tamil?
- Unkindly in Tamil is இரக்கமில்லாது, இரக்கமற்ற. See Unkindly meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use unkindly in a sentence?
- She is conscientious, and I have no fear of her treating him unkindly.
- What part of speech is unkindly?
- Unkindly can be an adjective or an adverb.
- How do you pronounce unkindly?
- Unkindly is pronounced /ʌnˈkaɪndli/.
Words near unkindly in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: unkindly (page history and authors); unkindly (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-unkindly.wav.
Cite this entry: “unkindly.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/unkindly. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.