Definition of UNPROMISING

Examples of unpromising in a Sentence

Things got off to an unpromising start. She can do a lot with unpromising material.

Recent Examples on the Web

And how will these artists, who had developed in the most unpromising of circumstances, handle the world-wide fame and celebrity that came their way in their 40s and 50s? — Ann Landi, WSJ, "‘Ninth Street Women’ Review: Expressing Themselves," 20 Sep. 2018 Teddy’s unpromising fifth cousin—was written off as a rich, foppish lightweight with little more than an aristocratic accent and rich parents. — Edward Kosner, WSJ, "‘Frank and Al’ Review: A Friendship Forged in Albany," 25 Sep. 2018 The unpromising weather nearly persuaded him to call off the attempt, run an ordinary race and save the more intensive effort for a meet in London scheduled 10 days later. — Frank Litsky And Bruce Weber, New York Times, "Sir Roger Bannister, First Athlete to Break 4-Minute Mile, Dies at 88," 4 Mar. 2018 After a long, complicated, unpromising production, the first footage from the Star Wars prequel (no, not that kind) Solo, came out today as part of the endless parade of Super Bowl ads. — Tom Philip, GQ, "Here's Your First Look at Solo: A Star Wars Story," 5 Feb. 2018 But Madrid has developed a habit of winning even in the most unpromising circumstances and as Juve dropped off, seemingly content to wait for extra time, Lucas Vazquez was barged over by Mehdi Benatia as Cristiano Ronaldo headed back across goal. — Jonathan Wilson, SI.com, "Chaos, Controversy, Cristiano: Vulnerable Real Madrid Perseveres vs. Valiant Juventus," 11 Apr. 2018 But if the political process is unpromising, people working in the market are making their own progress. — Anchorage Daily News, "The moment has probably passed for Alaska health care reform. The future is here.," 25 Mar. 2018 Then again, Hakstol’s mantra, overused or not, has led to all types of combinations in a season that began so unpromising and injury tumultuous, but is now undeniably trending toward not only a playoff appearance, but a run as well. — Sam Donnellon, Philly.com, "'Do your job' credo has Flyers thriving," 22 Feb. 2018 Either that or a vegan-punk festival where the weather forecast was unpromising. — Geoff Dyer, GQ, "This Hotel Is the Best Place to Stay If You Still Haven't Been to Iceland," 5 Feb. 2018

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