unsympathisch
unlikeable
A person who makes an unpleasant or off-putting impression on others and does not inspire sympathy.
EXAMPLE
Ich fand den Verkäufer sehr arrogant und unsympathisch.
I found the salesperson very arrogant and unlikeable.
unsympathisch
unpleasant / unlikeable
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
Usage tips
False friend
Careful: 'unsympathisch' means 'not likeable, unpleasant, off-putting'. It is not the same as the English 'unsympathetic', which means lacking compassion or understanding.
EXAMPLE
Ich kann ihn nicht leiden, er ist mir einfach unsympathisch.
I can't stand him; I just find him unlikeable.
Word structure
The word is the direct opposite of 'sympathisch' (likeable). The prefix 'un-' reverses the meaning and expresses a negative personal feeling.
EXAMPLE
Sein Lächeln wirkte auf mich irgendwie unsympathisch.
His smile seemed somehow unlikeable to me.
Dative construction
Because 'unsympathisch' describes a personal feeling, it is very often used with a dative pronoun that names the person who has this feeling. The structure is: 'Jemand ist mir/dir/ihm unsympathisch' (Someone seems unlikeable to me/you/him).
EXAMPLE
Seine arrogante Art ist mir total unsympathisch.
I find his arrogant manner completely unlikeable.
Compare with
unsympathisch vs unangenehm
unpleasant
When describing a person, unangenehm generally refers to the discomfort their presence or behavior causes. Unsympathisch more specifically means that you do not feel any personal sympathy for them. Someone can therefore seem unsympathisch without behaving in a specifically unangenehm way.
unsympathisch
Der neue Kollege ist mir unsympathisch, obwohl er höflich ist und mich nicht bedrängt.
I find the new colleague unlikeable, although he is polite and does not pressure me.
unangenehm
Der neue Kollege ist mir unangenehm, weil er ständig sehr persönliche Fragen stellt.
The new colleague makes me uncomfortable because he is constantly asking very personal questions.
In real life
Loading video examples...