unbothered

[ uhn-both-erd ]

adjective

1. not experiencing mental or physical discomfort: He was unbothered about not being picked for the team.

   He was unbothered by the cold.

   He was unbothered about not being picked for the team.

2. Slang. indifferent to criticism or negative comments; not annoyed or provoked: They swear they’re unbothered, but they care.

   She was unbothered by her many haters.

   They swear they’re unbothered, but they care.

Word History and Origins

Origin of unbothered¹

First recorded in 1900–10; un- ¹( def ) + bother ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

The app’s interface kept telling me it was working, but Bowie was just sniffing around like usual, unbothered.

From Outside Online

If you’re not an Apple devotee, you’re unbothered by the lofty $279 price tag, and you’re looking for the best wireless earbuds, then Sony’s high-end option delivers on some rather lofty promises.

From Popular-Science

The breezes that chase each other across the meadows run unbothered through its rows.

From Washington Post

Carter Kieboom, unbothered by the spotlight, is confident he can keep his third base jobThe best version of this team has Kieboom finding his way in the majors.

From Washington Post

Carter Kieboom, unbothered by the spotlight, is confident he can keep his third base jobThen both the curve and slider clicked no matter who was up, and Scherzer won the Cy Young Award with Avila behind the plate.

From Washington Post

We continuously pause to pull them out while Zalwar Khan and his companion smirk at us and chew unbothered.

From The Daily Beast

But instead of reporting her discovery to authorities, she carried on using the car—unbothered, she told police, by the smell.

From The Daily Beast

She seems unbothered by hair hang-ups, make-up issues, clothing crises.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• blithe
• breezy
• cheerful
• cheery
• easygoing
• happy
• happy-go-lucky
• jaunty
• jovial
• laid back
• sunny
• unanxious

More About Unbothered

What does unbothered mean?

Unbothered means not experiencing any discomfort—physically, emotionally, or in another other way. If you’re unbothered, nothing is bothering you.

To be bothered by something is to be worried about it or to feel discomfort from it in some way.

Unbothered is especially used in the context of things that could hurt or bother a person but don’t, as in I’m unbothered by the pain, honestly—it’s the waiting that gets to me.

Unbothered is also commonly used in a more informal way to mean completely unaffected by or indifferent to a bad or difficult situation or poor treatment, such as criticism or negative comments. In this way, it means something like nonchalant, as in You seem so unbothered—how can you be so chill about it?

Unbothered can be followed by the source of the discomfort, as in He seems unbothered by the attention, or it can be used by itself, as in He seems completely unbothered. 

Example: Although Sarah desperately wanted the promotion, she did her best to seem unbothered when it was awarded to Jack.

Where does unbothered come from?

The first records of the word unbothered come from around 1900. The prefix un– means “not.” Though the word bothered can be used as an adjective or as the past tense of the verb bother, unbothered is only ever used as an adjective.

When someone is described with the more informal sense of unbothered, it implies that they are remaining completely confident and carefree in spite of whatever nonsense is happening or being thrown their way. When someone is unbothered in this way, nothing gets to them. Insults bounce right off of them. Oh, you’re trying to get a rise out of them? They didn’t even notice. Because they’re unbothered.

Of course, while some people are truly unbothered by criticism or negative comments, others simply pretend to be unbothered so as not to encourage such treatment.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for unbothered?

• undisturbed
• unperturbed
• unconcerned
• indifferent
• nonchalant

What are some words that share a root or word element with unbothered? 

 

• bothered
• bother
• bothersome
• botheration

What are some words that often get used in discussing unbothered?

• completely
• remain
• seem
• pain
• discomfort
• feeling
• worry

How is unbothered used in real life?

Unbothered is usually used in a positive way in admiration of someone who’s able to keep it together despite a difficult situation, poor treatment, or pain.

Train yourself to remain unbothered by things that don't affect your ultimate goal and you'll find that it's easier to take each step towards your objective. But first you must define your goals. Then you must resolve to stop using daily distractions as excuses to not reach them.

— Shakira Sison (@shakirasison) April 25, 2018

Sometimes growth is being unbothered by people who refuse to see the new you and try to trigger the old you.

— Inner Practitioner (@MindTendencies2) July 17, 2020

i’m so unbothered that i leave my phone in do not disturb the entire day

— ryan (@ryanmikeanton) July 17, 2020

 

 

Try using unbothered!

Which of the following words is an antonym (opposite) of unbothered?

A. agitated
B. nonchalant
C. aloof
D. unconcerned