Skip to main content
unwelcoming

unwelcoming

3 4.5
Not friendly and making people feel unwanted or uncomfortable
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈwɛlkəmɪŋ/
translation icon : inhospitalario
  • His unwelcoming demeanor set the tone for the meeting, leaving everyone feeling uncomfortable.
  • unwelcoming environment

He said no because his parents would find this rude and unwelcoming.

Examples

  • She found the unwelcoming smiles of her classmates discouraging when she tried to make new friends.

  • But I mean, at both of these places, my problem was I just found a sort of unwelcoming work atmosphere.

  • The Chicago bus terminal had been unwelcoming, crowded, and busy.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • A third area for consideration is the often unwelcoming aspect of schools for Mexican parents.

    Academic text (2003)
  • I can totally understand how that environment would feel unwelcoming and judgmental.

    Blog text (18)
  • The house was as daunting and unwelcoming as she remembered it.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • An unwelcoming job market has forced many practitioners back into academia.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Many civilians who had disapproved of the war were unwelcoming to the returning veterans.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • It is true to say that historians often comment on the problems facing women in Parliament, pointing out how tough and unwelcoming the place could be.

  • The hotel lobby had a cold and unwelcoming atmosphere, making guests feel out of place.

Synonyms

unfriendly
vsunwelcoming
22 1.9

Not kind or warm to other people

is about creating discomfort and not inviting people in
off-putting
vsunwelcoming
20 6.1

Causing dislike and making someone not want to continue

is more about ongoing lack of welcome than a sudden put off
uncivil
vsunwelcoming
9 6.0

Not polite and rude to other people

produces a general unwelcome feeling rather than only rude acts
disagreeable
vsunwelcoming
8 5.0

Unfriendly in manner so people feel uncomfortable

focuses specifically on making people feel unwelcome or unwanted
unapproachable
vsunwelcoming
3 6.6

Not friendly and hard to talk to so people avoid them

is broader, making people feel unwanted rather than merely distant
uninviting
vsunwelcoming
2 4.6

Not pleasant or welcoming and likely to keep people away

is about lack of friendliness rather than mere lack of appeal
unmannerly
vsunwelcoming
1 6.3

Not polite and often rude to others

causes people to feel unwanted rather than only noting bad manners
uncompanionable
vsunwelcoming
8.3

Not friendly and hard to get along with

is about making people feel unwanted rather than just unpleased
uncordial
vsunwelcoming
  • Archaic
8.9

Not friendly or warm in behavior

creates an excluding atmosphere rather than only cold manners
forbidding
vsunwelcoming
6.6

Looking unfriendly or dangerous so people do not want to go near

creates discomfort by coldness rather than by threat or danger
alienating
vsunwelcoming
7.3

Causing someone to feel alone and not part of a group

is about immediate unfriendliness rather than causing long term exclusion
unaccommodating
vsunwelcoming
7.0

Not willing to help or change plans for others

creates a sense of not being wanted, not only unhelpfulness

Antonyms

66 1.0

A friendly way of acting that makes people feel comfortable

How Welcoming

welcoming
66 1.0
neutral
218 3.6
cold
883 4.4
unwelcoming
3 4.5
hostile
194 4.6

Surface Forms

unwelcoming positive

Morphology

unwelcoming = welcoming (transparent) = un + welcome + ing

The prefix 'un-' clearly negates the adjective 'welcoming', making the meaning easily derivable.

Etymology

Unwelcoming is made from the negative un- meaning 'not' and welcome, which is a friendly greeting, so a helpful way to remember it is 'not welcome'. That's why unwelcoming means not friendly or not making someone feel wanted.