as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard an unsatisfactory first attempt at building a birdhouse

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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 Divorce is more stigmatized in these cultures, and individuals are less likely to seek separation, even in unsatisfactory marriages. Mark Travers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025 The sheer number of employees that were terminated in a matter of days belies any argument that these terminations were due to the employees' individual unsatisfactory performance or conduct... Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025 Proctor was officially fired from his post on March 19 of this year — just two weeks before the start of Read's second trial — for what Massachusetts State Police said was unsatisfactory performance and a charge related to alcoholic beverages, according to GBH News. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025 The trial board found Proctor guilty of three charges of unsatisfactory performance and one charge of consumption of alcohol while on duty from January to August 2022. Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unsatisfactory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsatisfactory
Adjective
  • Shapiro told reporters at a news conference on April 16 that regardless of the motivation for the crime, political violence must be condemned as unacceptable in our society.
    Riley Beggin, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Any format that builds in a conflict of interest is unacceptable.
    Robert Greene, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Road conditions are rapidly deteriorating, with the percentage of roads in poor condition expected to double in two years.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Some parents worry that Alexa's high tolerance for rudeness instills poor behavior in their kids, according to Quartz.
    Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But even one in three Republicans said their cost of living was on the wrong track, according to the poll, which surveyed 4,306 U.S. adults nationwide between April 16 and April 21.
    Jason Lange, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Department of Justice lawyers accidentally sent the wrong letter to a judge, admitting weaknesses in their case against New York City’s congestion pricing.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 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 means more time for Rojas, who has shown more bad than good to begin this season.
    Matt Gelb, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Thankfully, the kittens were discovered and rescued right in time before something worse fell on them.
    TJ Macias, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The Mount Zion Road/Columbia Hollow bridge was part of the 2017 county bridge plan to replace 15 bridges deemed structurally deficient by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Apr. 2025
  • While this option can work for people who are deficient in vitamin A, according to experts, vaccination is the only way to prevent measles, as vitamin A is not an alternative.
    Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Unsatisfactory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsatisfactory. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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