unwelcoming

U1N1W4E1L1C3O1M3I1N1G2

adjective

Lacking in hospitality, accessibility and cordiality.

“The townspeople were unwelcoming, making little effort to make the newcomer feel welcome.”

OriginEnglish welcoming ← Middle English welcome ← Old English wilcuma →
RareScrabble 19
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Meanings

adjectiveunwelcoming (comparative more unwelcoming, superlative most unwelcoming)

comparative more unwelcoming · superlative most unwelcoming

  1. Lacking in hospitality, accessibility and cordiality.

    The townspeople were unwelcoming, making little effort to make the newcomer feel welcome.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
coldstony

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Germanic*un-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*un-
  5. Old Englishun-
  6. Middle Englishun-
  7. Englishun-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*welh₁-
  9. Proto-Germanic*wiljaną
  10. Proto-Indo-European*gʷem-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*gʷémt
  12. Proto-Germanic*kwemaną
  13. Proto-Germanic*wiljakwemô
  14. Old Englishwilcuma
  15. Middle Englishwelcome
  16. Englishwelcome
  17. Englishwelcoming
  18. Englishunwelcoming

From un- + welcoming.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

unwelcoming. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unwelcoming

MLA

“unwelcoming.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unwelcoming. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unwelcoming,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unwelcoming.

Source: unwelcoming on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.