unaffected

¹

[ uhn-uh-fek-tid ]

adjective

1. free from affectation; sincere; genuine:

   The man showed unaffected grief at the death of his former opponent.

   Synonyms: guileless, naive, artless, unfeigned, real, honest, simple, natural, plain

2. unpretentious, as a personality or literary style.

unaffected

²

[ uhn-uh-fek-tid ]

adjective

1. not affected, affect, affected, acted upon, or influenced; unchanged; unaltered:

   The laboratory clock remained accurate, unaffected by the explosion.

   Synonyms: unstirred, unmoved, untouched

unaffected

¹

/ ˌʌnəˈfɛktɪd /

adjective

1. not affected

unaffected

²

/ ˌʌnəˈfɛktɪd /

adjective

1. unpretentious, natural, or sincere

Derived Forms

• ˌunafˈfectedness, noun
• ˌunafˈfectedly, adverb

Other Words From

• unaf·fected·ly adverb
• unaf·fected·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unaffected¹

First recorded in 1580–90; un- ¹ + affected ²

Origin of unaffected²

First recorded in 1580–90; un- ¹ + affected ¹

Example Sentences

Others, sometimes next door, were almost entirely unaffected — some still with lush green lawns.

From Los Angeles Times

Drinking water quality in Camarillo was unaffected; but Gross’ water company, Pleasant Valley Mutual Water Company, notified customers that there is possible fire-related contamination and the water is unsafe to drink.

From Los Angeles Times

“It's hard not to go overboard with admiration for a nonagenarian who remains so unaffected by her fame on the one hand,” wrote one, “and some of the awful things life has thrown at her on the other.”

From BBC

The music of jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava washes over the dining room as solicitous waiters recite the evening’s specials, their delivery unaffected by the thud of bombs falling on a neighborhood nearby.

From Los Angeles Times

A review of research on attitudes toward advertising by University College of London professor Jeremy Dean found that people who thought they were unaffected by advertising were just as influenced by it as any other group.

From Slate

Related Words

• impassive
• impervious
• unaltered
• unconcerned
• unimpressed
• unruffled
• untouched