unhelpful
/'ʌn'helpful/
Definition
Adjective: - Providing no assistance; not useful or beneficial: Describes something or someone that does not offer help, support, or a solution, often making a situation more difficult or failing to improve it.
Usage
The adjective "unhelpful" is used to describe actions, behaviors, comments, information, or people that are not useful or do not contribute positively to resolving a situation. It often carries a mildly critical or negative tone.
Examples
- Describing a comment or advice:
- His suggestion was completely unhelpful and only added to the confusion.
- "Just try harder" is often an unhelpful piece of advice for someone struggling with a complex problem.
- Describing a person or behavior:
- The customer service agent was rude and unhelpful.
- Standing by and watching without offering aid is an unhelpful attitude in an emergency.
- Describing information or a resource:
- The manual's instructions were vague and unhelpful.
- I found the search results to be largely unhelpful for my specific query.
Advanced Usage
- "to be singularly unhelpful": An emphatic way to say something is particularly or notably unhelpful.
- The error message was singularly unhelpful, giving no clue about what went wrong.
- In formal or professional critique: Used to evaluate the utility of a proposal, data, or analysis.
- The committee found the report's conclusions to be unhelpful for making an informed decision.
Variants and Related Words
- Unhelpfully (adverb): In a manner that provides no assistance.
- He unhelpfully pointed out the problem but offered no solution.
- Unhelpfulness (noun): The quality or state of being unhelpful.
- The unhelpfulness of the guidebook frustrated the tourists.
Synonyms
- Useless: Having no ability to be used for a practical purpose.
- Uncooperative: Not willing to work with others or be helpful.
- Counterproductive: Having the opposite of the desired effect.
- Ineffectual: Not producing any or the desired effect.
Antonyms
- Helpful: Giving or ready to give help.
- Useful: Able to be used for a practical purpose.
- Supportive: Providing encouragement or emotional help.
- Constructive: Serving a useful purpose; tending to build up.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- "More of a hindrance than a help": An idiom describing someone or something that is actively unhelpful, creating obstacles.
- The new software was more of a hindrance than a help, slowing down our workflow.
- "Not be of any/much help": A common phrase with a similar meaning to "unhelpful."
- I'm afraid my knowledge of the subject won't be of much help.
Adjective
-
providing no assistance
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