unsatisfactory

adjective

un·​sat·​is·​fac·​to·​ry ˌən-ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-t(ə-)rē 

: not satisfactory

unsatisfactorily

ˌən-ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-t(ə-)rə-lē 

adverb

unsatisfactoriness

ˌən-ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-t(ə-)rē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• bad
• bastard
• bush
• bush-league
• crummy
• crumby
• deficient
• dissatisfactory
• ill
• inferior
• lame
• lousy
• off
• paltry
• poor
• punk
• sour
• suboptimal
• subpar
• substandard
• unacceptable
• wack [slang]
• wanting
• wretched
• wrong

Example Sentences

He was fired for unsatisfactory performance.

an unsatisfactory first attempt at building a birdhouse

Recent Examples on the Web

That version struck Wheater as unsatisfactory. —Celia Wren, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2023

Four stars, outstanding; three stars, excellent; two stars, very good; one star, good; no stars, unsatisfactory. —Nick Kindelsperger, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2022

But that’s unsatisfactory, Neville says. —Washington Post, 28 Sep. 2021

Impulsive purchases might prove unsatisfactory. —Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 22 May 2021

That process seems to be the issue the commission has with Twitter’s unsatisfactory report. —Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 9 Feb. 2023

Previous attempts by Trump's attorneys to identify and return documents proved unsatisfactory to investigators. —Josh Dawsey, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Dec. 2022

Previous attempts by Trump’s attorneys to identify and return documents proved unsatisfactory to investigators. —Anchorage Daily News, 7 Dec. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

circa 1650, in the meaning defined above