unkindness

unkindness — 名詞

1. behaviour or words that show a lack of care for someone else's feelings, often l

1.名詞B2
釋義

不友善；刻薄

缺乏體諒、使人受傷的行為或言語

behaviour or words that show a lack of care for someone else's feelings, often leaving them feeling hurt or upset

例句

Anya was deeply hurt by the unkindness of her classmates' comments about her new haircut.

Anya 因為同學對她新髮型的刻薄評論而感到非常受傷。

collocation: 'unkindness of [someone's] [action]'

The manager's casual unkindness toward junior staff created a tense atmosphere in the office.

經理對基層員工隨意表現出的不友善，讓辦公室氣氛變得緊張。

collocation: 'casual unkindness toward'

同義詞
  • cruelty

    stronger than unkindness; implies deliberate intent to cause pain or suffering

  • meanness

    more informal than unkindness; suggests petty, small-minded behaviour rather than general lack of care

  • harshness

    focuses on severity or roughness of treatment rather than lack of kindness

  • spite

    implies a deliberate wish to hurt or annoy someone, which unkindness does not always carry

反義詞
  • kindness

    the direct opposite; thoughtful, caring behaviour toward others

  • compassion

    a deeper, more emotional form of caring that includes sympathy for someone's suffering

  • gentleness

    soft, mild treatment that avoids any trace of hurt or upset

用法筆記

Usually uncountable. To refer to a specific instance, use phrases like 'an act of unkindness' or 'a deliberate unkindness' rather than treating the noun as countable.

常見錯誤

❌He showed me many unkindnesses during our time together.
✅He showed me great unkindness during our time together.
💡'Unkindness' is uncountable; use 'acts of unkindness' for specific instances.
❌I was shocked by her unkindness for me.
✅I was shocked by her unkindness toward me.
💡The correct preposition is 'toward' or 'towards', not 'for'.