as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
an unsatisfactory first attempt at building a birdhouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unsatisfactory
If the response is unsatisfactory, the district could use information in the audit to refuse the two schools renewal.
—
Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 21 May 2025
Democrats found the responses from Trump officials unsatisfactory.
—Nik Popli, Time, 25 Mar. 2025
The company may terminate the Management Agreement for unsatisfactory performance by the Manager, but such termination may be difficult and costly.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2025
If any of those questions are met with an unsatisfactory answer, next season could be just as difficult for Manchester City as this one has proved.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsatisfactory
Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 21 May 2025
Democrats found the responses from Trump officials unsatisfactory.
—Nik Popli, Time, 25 Mar. 2025
The company may terminate the Management Agreement for unsatisfactory performance by the Manager, but such termination may be difficult and costly.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2025
If any of those questions are met with an unsatisfactory answer, next season could be just as difficult for Manchester City as this one has proved.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsatisfactory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsatisfactory
Adjective
-
And sometimes the soldiers can do things which are totally unacceptable and can be called crimes.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
-
Shamkhani underscored that the absence of sanctions relief rendered the U.S. plan unacceptable.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
Massive clouds of pollutants could collide in North Carolina this week and result in poor air quality conditions for millions.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
5 June 2025
-
The risk extends even to children due to increasing rates of childhood obesity and poor dietary habits.20 As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that healthy adults have their lipids checked every four to six years.—
MD Published,
Verywell Health,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
But even putting O’Brien on notice would be an attempt to intimidate and silence a critic, which is plainly wrong.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2025
-
There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it Matt Sekerke is a managing director at SEDA Experts and senior macro advisor at Hiddenite Capital Partners.—
Matt Sekerke,
Fortune,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
-
My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
-
That cartilage injury was worse than expected, and Jiménez could miss all or most of this season rehabbing.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
-
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay has continued to search for answers to cure what ails the Athletics during their historically bad run of losing in West Sacramento.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
Ars Video Whether the Take It Down Act can survive a potential constitutional challenge or not, the 48-hour timeline may be deficient for other reasons, though, victim testimony suggests.—
Ashley Belanger – May 19,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2025
-
The Church’s ‘Good Faith’ In court filings, Riverside denies wrongdoing and insists Holmes’ case is legally deficient.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsatisfactory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsatisfactory. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share