Meaning & use

unhelpful

adjective·Everyday

Not providing useful assistance, advice, or support when it is needed.

See it in a sentence

The customer service representative was unhelpful and refused to answer basic questions.

His vague directions turned out to be completely unhelpful once we got lost.

A note on using this word

Unhelpful can describe both people and things, from an unhelpful colleague to an unhelpful set of instructions.

Words with a similar meaning

uselessunproductive

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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