🏜️ Not productive 🙅 Not generous

ungiving

7.4

Not willing to give, share, or be kind to others

adjective
/ʌnˈɡɪvɪŋ/

: inflexible

Her ungiving attitude made it difficult for others to approach her for help.

Examples

And the horsehair mattress, so hard and ungiving.

Fiction book (1997)
She can feel how rigid they are, how ungiving.

Fiction book (1998)
And about Dick, the man she no longer sees, who was an ungiving, emotionally stunted person, as Sheila had always known.

Fiction book (1998)
The mentor's ungiving nature left many students feeling unsupported.
He was known for his ungiving demeanor, rarely offering praise or encouragement.

Synonyms

mean

vsungiving

699 2.2

Unkind and cruel toward other people

is refusal to give kindness, not necessarily intending to harm others

heartless

vsungiving

Offensive

79 4.1

Not showing kindness or sympathy to others

is more about unwillingness to share kindness than active cruelty

unkind

vsungiving

44 1.0

Not friendly or caring to other people

is refusal to give kindness specifically rather than occasional unfriendliness

unfriendly

vsungiving

22 1.9

Not kind or warm to other people

is about unwillingness to give kindness beyond simple lack of social warmth

uncaring

vsungiving

18 4.2

Not showing concern for other people's feelings or needs

is about unwillingness to give kindness, not just emotional indifference

unfeeling

vsungiving

14 5.9

Not showing sympathy or care for other people's feelings

is refusal to share kindness more than a basic lack of feeling

unsympathetic

vsungiving

7 4.9

Not feeling sorry for someone or caring about their problems

is refusal to give or share kindness rather than merely lacking understanding

remorseless

vsungiving

6 7.5

Not feeling sorry and continuing without stopping when hurting others

is refusal to give kindness, rather than relentless cruelty or persistence

uncharitable

vsungiving

5 6.7

Not kind or generous and quick to judge others harshly

is more about refusing to give kindness than critical judgment

unloving

vsungiving

2 5.6

Not showing care or warmth to other people

is refusal to give kindness in action rather than simple lack of affection

unmerciful

vsungiving

2 7.1

Being very cruel and not kind to others

is unwillingness to give kindness, not necessarily involving extreme cruelty

uncompassionate

vsungiving

1 7.3

Not caring when other people suffer

is an active unwillingness to show or share kindness rather than feeling

kindless

vsungiving

Archaic

1 8.6

A person who does not show care for other people

is unwilling to give or show kindness even when asked

hardhearted

vsungiving

1 7.2

Not feeling or showing pity for other people

is refusal to give kindness that can be chosen rather than fixed trait

ungentle

vsungiving

1 7.7

Harsh and unkind in the way someone acts

is refusal to share kindness in giving rather than merely rough behavior

unhandsome

vsungiving

Archaic

1 8.1

Not kind or fair in how someone treats others

is about unwillingness to give kindness rather than mere unfairness

noncharitable

vsungiving

6.7

Not showing kindness to other people

is framed as refusal to give or share kindness in actions

indurate

vsungiving

Formal

9.9

Not able to feel or show care for other people

is an unwillingness to give kindness as a choice, not only hardened nature

meanspirited

vsungiving

Offensive

7.4

Unkind and petty in a way that hurts other people

is unwillingness to give kindness, but without the petty cruelty focus

unpitying

vsungiving

8.8

Not showing kindness or mercy when others suffer

is refusal to give kindness in general, not only lack of pity

Antonyms

kind

534 1.0

Being helpful and caring toward other people

sympathetic

152 3.4

Feeling or showing kindness and understanding to someone who is upset

generous

79 1.2

Willing to forgive small mistakes and not be strict

How Generous

charitable

150 3.4

generous

328 1.6

ungiving

7.4

stingy

26 5.2

miserly

3 7.9

Surface Forms

ungiving positive

Morphology

ungiving = giving (transparent) = un + give + ing

Direct negation of the adjective 'giving' (generous), so meaning 'not willing to give' is immediately derivable.

Etymology

Ungiving is made of the parts un- 'not' and give 'to give', so it means 'not giving'. An ungiving person will not 'give' help, money, or kindness, so they are not kind or willing to share.