1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
an affectless analysis of the cost of the war purely in pecuniary terms
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stoic
not feeling or showing emotion
the accused remained affectless throughout the long trial
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of affectless
The use of an A.I. program to replicate Warhol’s flat, affectless speech to read the diary entries had a strangely fitting logic.
—
Steve Dollar, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022
His paintings borrowed aspects of photographic vision (arbitrary cropping, dissonant overlap) and even photographic sensibility (cool, affectless, mechanical).
—Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2021
Mumblecore veteran Sheil, with her Raphaelite curtain of hair and almost affectless voice, can be an opaque heroine, and the plot, as far as there is one, feels halting at first, the dialogue choppy and unreal.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 30 July 2020
Johnny Flynn’s affectless monotone was crisp, clear, and cheery.
—Adrienne So, Wired, 1 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for affectless
Steve Dollar, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022
His paintings borrowed aspects of photographic vision (arbitrary cropping, dissonant overlap) and even photographic sensibility (cool, affectless, mechanical).
—Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2021
Mumblecore veteran Sheil, with her Raphaelite curtain of hair and almost affectless voice, can be an opaque heroine, and the plot, as far as there is one, feels halting at first, the dialogue choppy and unreal.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 30 July 2020
Johnny Flynn’s affectless monotone was crisp, clear, and cheery.
—Adrienne So, Wired, 1 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for affectless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affectless
Adjective
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But when the ruthless Mafia boss Nicola Grimaldi discovers his young son has been kidnapped and murdered, the suspect and Grimaldi’s former friend Vito seeks refuge with police.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2025
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The way to move up in your organization might require being ruthless.—
Roberta Matuson,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And finally… Win as a team, lose as a team, or so the saying goes, but stoic camaraderie is asking a lot of Real Valladolid.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Both fascinating and infuriating, Henry Fonda for President, by Austrian filmmaker Alexander Horwath, examines the dark-browed, blue-eyed stoic Hollywood actor Henry Fonda as more politically significant than his infamously radical daughter, Jane.—
Armond White,
National Review,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The straightforward task rapidly devolves into a perilous game of cat and mouse, when the merciless leader of a notorious crime syndicate sets his sights on claiming the organ for himself.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2025
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The counterpoint to Pritzker’s light touch on Schumer is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been merciless in her disapproval of Schumer’s decision.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The region's cool climate, high diurnal temperature range, and stony, well-draining soils are ideal for enhancing the aromatic profile and maintaining the grape’s natural acidity.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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Stein derives from the word stone in German and refers to the stony soils found in this vineyard.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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These were the years in which capitalism shed its pitiless light on the absurd British soul, with its deep striations of caste and station, its postcolonial taint, most of all its perverted emotional core, full of love and loathing for its own extremes of domination and servitude.—
Rachel Cusk,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
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Achyut Kumar plays Prabhu, a pitiless small-town businessman running for local office with the help of his right-hand enforcer, Malabari (Dileesh Pothan).—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Plan Your Trip Charleston, South Carolina The Holy City may be blanketed in humidity in the height of summer, but Charlestonians have figured out all the best ways to deal with the oppressive air.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2025
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Yet history provides no shortage of examples of human courage, even under the most oppressive circumstances.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Though Chicago has long been home to some of the country’s finer record emporiums, the past several years witnessed a mini-boom of destinations for music lovers who want to enjoy more than a soulless stream or algorithm-triggered TikTok clip.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2025
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It should be replaced with a sprawling, soulless contrivance.—
Noah Rothman,
National Review,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Affectless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affectless. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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