Standard Lemma guide

unattractive

adj · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æktɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: AH2 N AH0 T R AE1 K T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not handsome or beautiful or appealing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Lacking the power to attract interest.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An aesthetically unattractive person

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

lacking beauty or charm

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • as unattractive as most mining regions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: attractive

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

lacking power to arouse interest

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • being unemployed is a most unattractive prospect

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

not appealing to the senses

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • untempting food

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: untempting

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English attractive English unattractive From un- + attractive.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: տգեղ (tgeġ) — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Bulgarian: грозен (grozen) — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Dutch: onaantrekkelijk — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Finnish: epämiellyttävä — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • German: unschön — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Icelandic: óaðlaðandi — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Irish: gránna — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Irish: míofar — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Irish: míghnaíúil — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Latin: invenustus — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Latvian: neglīts — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Macedonian: одбивен (odbiven) — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Manx: neuchleaynagh — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Plautdietsch: eizhich — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Polish: nieatrakcyjny — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Russian: непригля́дный (neprigljádnyj) — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Russian: неинтере́сный (neinterésnyj) — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Russian: стрёмный (strjómnyj) — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Serbo-Croatian: ру́жан — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Serbo-Croatian: rúžan — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Spanish: inatrayente — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Spanish: inatractivo — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Swedish: oattraktiv — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Swedish: ful — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Thai: ขี้เหร่ (kîi-rèe) — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Thai: หน้าเน่า (nâa-nâo) — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Ukrainian: негарний (neharnyj) — not handsome or beautiful or appealing
  • Armenian: ժուժկալ (žužkal) — lacking the power to attract interest
  • Bulgarian: непривлекателен (neprivlekatelen) — lacking the power to attract interest
  • German: üsselig — lacking the power to attract interest
  • Irish: míthaitneamhach — lacking the power to attract interest
  • Irish: mítharraingteach — lacking the power to attract interest
  • Italian: sconveniente — lacking the power to attract interest
  • Polish: nieatrakcyjny — lacking the power to attract interest
  • Russian: невы́годный (nevýgodnyj) — lacking the power to attract interest
Real reading context

unattractive in complete knowledge articles