unhelpful

adjective

un·​help·​ful ˌən-ˈhelp-fəl How to pronounce unhelpful (audio)
 Southern often  -ˈhep-,
 also  -ˈheəp-
: offering no assistance : not helpful
a rude, unhelpful person
a confusing and unhelpful textbook
unhelpfully adverb
unhelpfulness noun

Examples of unhelpful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The people doing this are so wildly out of line and so unhelpful to any conversation. Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 12 June 2025 But Zelensky and his allies in Europe, and likely some of the more transatlantic-friendly members of the Trump administration, will find all of this unhelpful and a bad omen for future talks. Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025 Bayern’s forward line will be led by Kane this summer in the States, and Ronaldo would offer nothing beyond unhelpful media attention. The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 31 May 2025 The unhelpful vibe many people now get from Google searches, regardless of the internal metrics the company may use, may come from a fundamental shift in how Google surfaces information in the age of AI. Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for unhelpful

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhelpful was circa 1616

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Cite this Entry

“Unhelpful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhelpful. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.

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