unkind

unkind — adjective

1. behaving or speaking in a way that causes hurt or unhappiness to another person,

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

behaving or speaking in a way that causes hurt or unhappiness to another person, either deliberately or through not caring about how they feel.

Example

Zayd's unkind comment about her cooking made everyone at the table feel uncomfortable.

unkind + noun (comment) — adjective before noun

It was unkind of Esteban to ignore his younger brother's questions during the trip.

it + be + unkind + of + person + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • unkind to someone
  • unkind remark / comment / words / thing
  • it is unkind of someone to do something
Synonyms
  • cruel

    stronger; implies deliberate intent to cause pain or suffering

  • mean

    more informal; common in everyday conversation

  • harsh

    focuses on severity or strictness rather than emotional coldness

Antonyms
  • kind

    direct opposite; describes a caring and gentle nature

  • considerate

    emphasises thoughtfulness about others' needs and feelings

Grammar Patterns

unkind + to + person

it + be + unkind + of + person + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Often used with 'to' to indicate the person affected ('unkind to someone'). Also common in the pattern 'it is unkind of someone to do something' for commenting on an action.

Common Mistakes

He was unkind with me.
He was unkind to me.
use 'to' after 'unkind', not 'with'.
He is an unkind man' (when describing a single action).
It was unkind of him to say that.
'unkind' more naturally describes specific actions or words than a person's permanent character.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe behaviour that causes hurt, but they differ in intensity and use. 'Cruel' is the strongest, implying deliberate enjoyment of another's pain — someone who is cruel chooses to cause suffering. 'Mean' is the most informal and common in everyday speech, often describing petty, small-scale unkindness. 'Harsh' focuses on severity or roughness rather than emotional coldness — a harsh criticism might be accurate but delivered without gentleness. 'Nasty' suggests a spiteful, unpleasant quality in someone's manner or words. For example, a spiteful comment about someone's appearance is 'nasty'; a strict teacher giving a low grade without explanation is 'harsh'; a child who excludes a classmate from games is being 'mean'; and someone who physically hurts an animal is 'cruel'.

cruelmean ↗harsh ↗nasty ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • it is unkind of someone to do something

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'unkind' comes from Old English 'uncynde', where 'un-' means 'not' and 'cynde' means 'natural' or 'native'. Its original meaning was 'unnatural' or 'not in accordance with nature'. By the Middle English period, the meaning shifted to 'not well-disposed' or 'lacking in natural affection', which gradually developed into the modern sense of 'not kind or sympathetic'. This shift reflects how, in medieval thinking, kindness was seen as part of one's natural character.