as in neutral
showing little or no interest or enthusiasm
my suggestion that we go to see the new action flick was greeted with an unenthusiastic shrug
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Recent Examples of unenthusiastic
As the choral conductor has enlisted and must be replaced, the unenthusiastic choice is Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Henry Guthrie, who has several marks against him.
—
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
Cracker Barrel statement doesn't satisfy naysayers Reactions to the announcement were largely unenthusiastic, with many fans accusing the chain of ignoring their concerns and calling for a return to the old brand design.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 26 Aug. 2025
There's only so much one can glean from the preseason, but performance reviews for Maye have been unenthusiastic at best.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
And yet many people were unenthusiastic about the economy as a whole.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unenthusiastic
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
Cracker Barrel statement doesn't satisfy naysayers Reactions to the announcement were largely unenthusiastic, with many fans accusing the chain of ignoring their concerns and calling for a return to the old brand design.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 26 Aug. 2025
There's only so much one can glean from the preseason, but performance reviews for Maye have been unenthusiastic at best.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
And yet many people were unenthusiastic about the economy as a whole.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unenthusiastic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unenthusiastic
Adjective
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Available in four neutral shades designed to hide beneath a sheer skirt, these easy-to-slip-on shorts will save you from any wardrobe malfunctions.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
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Many employees have neutral (or negative) feelings about their email and chat applications.—
Eddy Azad,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Elsewhere in some areas, shoppers had tepid spending.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
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Interest from buyers, despite waitlist stats FIFA has mentioned, has appeared tepid at times.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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And those problems are magnified in the slack middle section of this 160-minute film, as the hunters make discoveries of their own in the forest, unnecessary subplots and aliens multiply, and there are some halfhearted attempts at giving them a thin backstory.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
17 May 2026
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Through all these threads, The Audacity throws itself headlong at some of tech’s biggest hot-button topics, including privacy, AI and, in an oddly halfhearted subplot involving JoAnne’s son, Everett Bliunck’s Orson, the manosphere, with an eye as cold as its characters.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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There’s a clear reason for that lukewarm conversion rate.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
14 May 2026
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On Wednesday, Polis spokesman Eric Maruyama referred The Denver Post to an earlier, lukewarm statement on the bill.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unenthusiastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unenthusiastic. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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