Englisch

unhelpful

gb/ʌnhˈɛlpfəl/ us/ʌnhˈɛlpfəl/
B2 Englisch
Bedeutungen
0 Bedeutungen
adjective B2 property
1

not useful or informative

not useful; it doesn’t help you

Verwendungsmuster: [comment/advice/information/response] is unhelpful
Häufiger Fehler:
Do not confuse unhelpful (not useful) with helpless (unable to help yourself).
Synonyme
useless (Stronger; suggests it has no value at all.) | unproductive (Emphasizes that it doesn’t lead to progress.) | uninformative (Focuses on lack of information.)
Antonyme
helpful (Provides useful help or guidance.) | useful (Has practical value for a purpose.) | constructive (Aims to improve a situation, especially in feedback.)
Wortverbindungen
unhelpful advice |unhelpful information |an unhelpful response |an unhelpful comment |unhelpful feedback |an unhelpful answer |unhelpful guidance |an unhelpful suggestion |unhelpful instructions |an unhelpful explanation
Themen
communication |daily_life |education |work
Beispiele
  • The FAQ page was unhelpful and didn’t answer my question.
  • That reply is unhelpful—can you be more specific?
  • The instructions are so unhelpful that I had to watch a video tutorial.
Beispiele für Lernende
  • This information is unhelpful.
  • Your answer was unhelpful.
adjective B2 property
2

not willing to help

not helpful; not cooperative

Verwendungsmuster: [someone] is unhelpful (about/with [something])
Häufiger Fehler:
Unhelpful describes behavior/attitude; unkind describes rudeness (they can overlap but are not the same).
Synonyme
uncooperative (Stresses refusal to work with others.) | unsupportive (Stresses lack of encouragement or backing.) | obstructive (Suggests actively making things harder.)
Antonyme
cooperative (Willing to work with others and help.) | supportive (Gives help or encouragement.) | accommodating (Willing to adapt to others’ needs.)
Wortverbindungen
unhelpful staff |an unhelpful employee |unhelpful customer service |an unhelpful colleague |an unhelpful receptionist |an unhelpful official |an unhelpful attitude |unhelpful behavior |unhelpful support |unhelpful team members
Themen
people |relationships |work |services
Beispiele
  • The clerk was unhelpful and refused to explain the policy.
  • My landlord has been unhelpful about fixing the heating.
  • She tried to ask for advice, but her manager was unhelpful.
Beispiele für Lernende
  • The staff were unhelpful.
  • My colleague is unhelpful.
adjective C1 property
3

not constructive or solution-focused

not constructive; it doesn’t improve the situation

Verwendungsmuster: unhelpful [thoughts/thinking/assumptions]
Häufiger Fehler:
In phrases like unhelpful thoughts, it means ‘not good for you’ rather than ‘not providing information’.
Synonyme
counterproductive (Emphasizes that it makes the problem worse.) | negative (Broader; focuses on pessimistic tone or attitude.) | self-defeating (Often used for thoughts/actions that harm your own goals.)
Antonyme
constructive (Aimed at improvement or solutions.) | productive (Leads to useful progress.)
Wortverbindungen
unhelpful thoughts |unhelpful thinking |unhelpful assumptions |an unhelpful mindset |unhelpful comparisons |unhelpful expectations |unhelpful habits |unhelpful patterns |an unhelpful reaction |an unhelpful approach
Themen
mental_health |emotions |communication
Beispiele
  • Blaming people is unhelpful when we need a plan.
  • It’s unhelpful to compare yourself to others all the time.
  • She noticed an unhelpful pattern of thinking and tried to change it.
Beispiele für Lernende
  • This kind of thinking is unhelpful.
Grammatik
Grundform
unhelpful
IPA
GB/ʌnhˈɛlpfəl/
US/ʌnhˈɛlpfəl/
Silben & Betonung
un - help - ful (3 Silben)
Stress on 2nd syllable (help)
Wortformen
Adjective
  • Base: unhelpful
Ausdrücke

not to be unhelpful, but ...

1
/nˈɑt tə bˈi ʌnhˈɛlpfəl | bˈʌt |/
fixed phrase

polite preface to criticism

used to introduce a negative comment politely

Beispiele
  • Not to be unhelpful, but you’ve already asked me that twice.
  • Not to be unhelpful, but this plan won’t work without more staff.
  • Not to be unhelpful, but have you tried restarting your laptop?

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