affectless

[ af-ekt-lis ]

adjective

1. lacking feeling or emotion; indifferent to the suffering of others:

   an affectless, futuristic drama in which the human characters are virtually robots.

affectless

/ əˈfɛktlɪs /

adjective

1. 1. showing no emotion or concern for others
   2. not giving rise to any emotion or feeling

      an affectless novel

Other Words From

• affect·less·ly adverb
• affect·less·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of affectless¹

First recorded in 1965–70; affect ¹ + -less

Word History and Origins

Origin of affectless¹

C20: from affect ¹(sense 4) + -less

Example Sentences

Ridley’s performance is affectless and deadpan, until it isn’t.

From New York Times

For most of her life, Jane Birkin, who died Sunday at 76, acted as a bridge — an elegant one, with an affectless grace that never betrayed the strains of load bearing.

From New York Times

Astrud Gilberto sings “The Girl from Ipanema” in a light, affectless style that influenced Sade and Suzanne Vega among others, as if she had already moved on to other matters.

From Seattle Times

Astrud Gilberto sings “The Girl From Ipanema” in a light, affectless style — as if she had already moved on to other matters — that decades later influenced singers such as Sade and Suzanne Vega among others.

From Los Angeles Times

But even the lighter works can sting a little: In “Trial Witch,” an ostensibly playful story about a housewife who’s granted magical powers of transformation — she turns cats into dogs, and shrinks the riders of a crowded train car to two inches tall to give herself more room — the protagonist mentions her husband hitting her in such a casual, affectless manner that it colors the entire narrative.

From Washington Post