unfavorable

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adjective un·fa·vor·able \ ˌən-ˈfā-v(ə-)rə-bəl , -ˈfā-vər-bəl \

Definition of unfavorable

1 a :opposed, contrary

b :expressing disapproval :negative

unfavorable reviews

2 :not propitious :disadvantageous

an unfavorable business climate

3 :not pleasing

an unfavorable feature of the plan

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unfavorableness

noun

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unfavorably

play \ˌən-ˈfā-v(ə-)rə-blē, -ˈfā-vər-bəl\ adverb

See unfavorable defined for English-language learners

See unfavorable defined for kids

Examples of unfavorable in a Sentence

She formed an unfavorable impression of him.
the company chose to accept the unfavorable settlement rather than spend more money on legal fees

Recent Examples of unfavorable from the Web

While the poll indicates a close race, so does the favorable/unfavorable rating of both candidates.

— paul gattis, AL.com, "Luther Strange, Roy Moore in virtual tie, new Senate poll says," 29 Aug. 2017
P&G has struggled to grow both sales and profits in the last half decade amid a tepid world economy and unfavorable currency exchange rates.

— alexander coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "P&G charges hedge fund boss has 'own agenda'," 14 Aug. 2017
Then, conditions are expected to become unfavorable for development.

— carlie kollath wells, NOLA.com, "Hurricane forecasters tracking low pressure system in Atlantic," 19 July 2017
Roughly 3 of every 4 fans who voted gave an unfavorable response.

— brian manzullo, Detroit Free Press, "Fans, analysts not thrilled with Detroit Tigers' return for J.D. Martinez," 18 July 2017
After the controversy over its opening, Odyssey’s unfavorable reputationnever fully recovered.

— lois k. solomon, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Odyssey Middle to be shut down: What went wrong for Boynton school?," 18 July 2017
All of their fates were preemptively sealed in November 2016, when China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), interpreted a clause the territory's constitution in a manner unfavorable to the legislators.

— kevin lui / hong kong, Time, "Four More Hong Kong Lawmakers Ousted In a Blow to Democratic Hopes," 14 July 2017
That was a 6 percentage point increase from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s monthly tracking results in June, when 55 percent expressed unfavorable opinions.

— jordan rau, Kaiser Health News, "Opposition To GOP Repeal Bill Inches Up And Intensifies," 14 July 2017
Kennedy was largely steamrolled by the Soviet leader, who demanded an immediate treaty to reunify Germany under terms unfavorable to the US.

— josh lederman, The Christian Science Monitor, "US and Russian leaders meet and the world watches," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unfavorable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unfavorable

1548

unfavorable Synonyms

UNFAVORABLE Defined for English Language Learners

unfavorable

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adjective

Definition of unfavorable for English Language Learners

: likely to cause problems or difficulties
: expressing disapproval

UNFAVORABLE Defined for Kids

unfavorable

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adjective un·fa·vor·able \ ˌən-ˈfā-və-rə-bəl \

Definition of unfavorable for Students

1 :expressing or showing disapproval

an unfavorable comment

2 :likely to make difficult or unpleasant

We had unfavorable weather for our trip.

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unfavorably

\-blē\ adverb

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unfavorableness

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Examples of unfavorable in a Sentence

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UNFAVORABLE Defined for English Language Learners

unfavorable

Definition of unfavorable for English Language Learners

UNFAVORABLE Defined for Kids

unfavorable

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