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unhelpful

unhelpful

17 3.0
Not giving useful help or advice
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈhɛlpfəl/
translation icon : poco útil
  • Her advice was unhelpful, leaving me more confused than before.
  • unhelpful sentence
  • unhelpful information
  • unhelpful in the context

They'll say very unhelpful things like, well, all things in moderation.

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Examples

  • Your husband's been quite unhelpful, I must say.

  • Worse, the public believes federal action was especially unhelpful to the mass of Americans.

    Academic text (2010)
  • But I guess I mean, I, I, I just, I think all this lying to people has been really unhelpful to them, right?

  • And you know, I mean, that becomes to me not only unhelpful in in living your life, but dangerous.

  • And even historical practice is a relatively unhelpful guide here.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Just relationships that were unhelpful for me personally.

  • Now some of these actions were like very unhelpful and some of them were very helpful.

  • The most unhelpful response is to say we're all doomed.

  • The Department of Commerce was generally unhelpful but did send a packet of materials.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The Arab states have been unhelpful, to say the least, in moving the Israeli-Palestinian talks forward.

    Academic text (2009)

Synonyms

useless
vsunhelpful
550 1.0

Not able to do the job it is made for

is less absolute and simply fails to provide assistance or backing
unproductive
vsunhelpful
21 3.8

Not giving useful or wanted results

is about lack of practical assistance rather than poor output or results
unsupportive
vsunhelpful
4 5.0

Does not give help or support to someone

is broader meaning simply lacking practical assistance or cooperative action
uninformative
vsunhelpful
2 5.8

Not giving useful information

is about failing to provide practical assistance rather than lacking facts or details
unconstructive
vsunhelpful
1 6.8

Not helpful because it does not show how to improve

focuses on lack of practical assistance rather than outcome or change
as useful as a hole in the head
vsunhelpful
  • Informal
9.8

Not helpful and not wanted in any situation

is milder meaning simply failing to give practical assistance or backing
unaccommodating
vsunhelpful
7.0

Not willing to help or change plans for others

is neutral about willingness and focuses on lacking practical assistance
nonsupporting
vsunhelpful
5.3

Not giving help or holding something in place

is about lack of practical assistance rather than structural absence
unencouraging
vsunhelpful
6.5

Something that makes people feel less hopeful or confident

is about lacking practical assistance rather than failing to raise confidence
unconducive
vsunhelpful
7.7

Not likely to help something happen or develop

is focused on unsuitable conditions rather than direct lack of practical assistance
noninformative
vsunhelpful
6.5

Not giving useful details

is about not offering practical assistance rather than missing facts or details
unenlightening
vsunhelpful
6.9

Does not give useful information or new understanding

is about lacking practical assistance rather than missing increased understanding
uninstructive
vsunhelpful
7.1

Does not give useful information or help someone learn

is about not providing practical assistance rather than failing to teach

Antonyms

689 1.0

Willing to give support and useful advice

348 2.8

Willing to give help or comfort when someone needs it

How Helpful

invaluable
75 4.1
helpful
689 1.0
useful
947 1.0
unhelpful
17 3.0
useless
550 1.0

Surface Forms

unhelpful positive
unhelpfull positive

Morphology

unhelpful = helpful (transparent) = un + help + ful

The adjective 'helpful' means 'providing help', and adding the productive negation 'un-' yields 'not providing help' in a straightforward way.

Etymology

The word unhelpful is made of un- meaning 'not' and helpful, which comes from help and -ful meaning 'full of'. So unhelpful means 'not full of help' and is used for someone or something that does not give useful assistance.