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Glite Dictionary
unhomely

unhomely

8.7
Strange and uncomfortable, making you feel not at home
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈhoʊmli/
translation icon : inhóspito
  • This confrontation with the unhomely absence lurking at the core of the subject is affectively experienced as anxiety.

Examples

  • The reader confirms this assessment by way of what Bhabha describes as an "unhomely" moment of shocking "recognition of the world-in-the-home, the home-in-the-world" ("World" 141).

    Academic text (1996)

  • The "unhomely" is precisely located "in that displacement when the borders between home and world become confused.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Bhabha seeks to find the "location of culture" in the marginal, "haunting," "unhomely" spaces between dominant social formations (157).

    Academic text (2014)

  • The empty, unhomely room made her feel anxious and out of place.

  • After moving to the city, he quickly realized how unhomely his new apartment felt compared to his childhood home.

  • The factory's unhomely atmosphere left workers feeling uncomfortable and distant from each other.

Synonyms

inhospitable
vsunhomely
14 7.0

Not welcoming and difficult to live in or visit

focuses on strangeness and lack of home warmth, causing personal unease

Antonyms

welcoming
66 1.0

A friendly way of acting that makes people feel comfortable

homely
  • UK
7 4.1

Comfortable and simple in a warm, friendly way

How Welcoming

welcoming
66 1.0
homely
  • UK
7 4.1
unhomely
8.7
unwelcoming
3 4.5
hostile
194 4.6

Surface Forms

unhomely positive

Morphology

unhomely = homely (transparent) = un + home + ly

The meaning is a straightforward negation of 'homely' by the productive English prefix 'un-'.

Etymology

Unhomely is made from un- ('not') and homely, which comes from home ('house' or 'comfort'). So unhomely means 'not home-like' and is used for places or feelings that are strange, cold, or make you feel uneasy.