unpromising
adjective
un·prom·is·ing
ˌən-ˈprä-mə-siŋ 
: appearing unlikely to prove worthwhile or result favorably
an unpromising beginning
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
This doesn’t mean that all medical projects aimed at treating disease and disability are unpromising.
—
WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
In her semifinals, a slow reaction time had Richardson off to a unpromising start.
—Talya Minsberg, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2023
Even the most initially unpromising or urban spaces can potentially, with the right approach and design, become valuable and productive garden spaces.
—Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 21 July 2023
Fortunately, that unpromising terrain proves just a fleeting awkward phrase, as the pair evolve in psychological as well as physiological ways.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 July 2023
Ticks are resilient animals, so attempting to destroy a tick nest using force will usually yield unpromising results.
—USA TODAY, 24 June 2023
Doré and Maldacena, who has also argued that the direct approach seems unpromising, both point to a new preprint study by cosmologists Daniel Green of the University of California, San Diego, and Rafael Porto of the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY).
—Brendan Z. Foster, Scientific American, 17 June 2020
Aguirre and Johnson have looked closely at these kinds of tunneling events and come back pessimistic; others have looked at similar processes from the perspective of the AdS/CFT correspondence with similarly unpromising results.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2012
In this unpromising milieu, the young Picasso, with his broken French and outcast friends, struggled to avoid arrest or even expulsion.
—Hugh Eakin, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2023
See More
WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
In her semifinals, a slow reaction time had Richardson off to a unpromising start.
—Talya Minsberg, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2023
Even the most initially unpromising or urban spaces can potentially, with the right approach and design, become valuable and productive garden spaces.
—Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 21 July 2023
Fortunately, that unpromising terrain proves just a fleeting awkward phrase, as the pair evolve in psychological as well as physiological ways.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 July 2023
Ticks are resilient animals, so attempting to destroy a tick nest using force will usually yield unpromising results.
—USA TODAY, 24 June 2023
Doré and Maldacena, who has also argued that the direct approach seems unpromising, both point to a new preprint study by cosmologists Daniel Green of the University of California, San Diego, and Rafael Porto of the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY).
—Brendan Z. Foster, Scientific American, 17 June 2020
Aguirre and Johnson have looked closely at these kinds of tunneling events and come back pessimistic; others have looked at similar processes from the perspective of the AdS/CFT correspondence with similarly unpromising results.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2012
In this unpromising milieu, the young Picasso, with his broken French and outcast friends, struggled to avoid arrest or even expulsion.
—Hugh Eakin, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unpromising.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1640, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near unpromising
Cite this Entry
“Unpromising.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpromising. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
unpromising
adjective
un·prom·is·ing
ˌən-ˈpräm-ə-siŋ
ˈən-
: appearing unlikely to prove worthwhile or successful
unpromisingly
adverb
More from Merriam-Webster on unpromising
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share