1
as in saddening
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2
as in inadequate
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Dissimilar Words
as in failing
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of
they were disappointed by the outcome of the big game
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disappointing
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Investors called on Novo Nordisk to pivot to sectors beyond weight loss after disappointing trial results for a new drug saw the Danish pharmaceutical giant’s stock plummet.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 20 Dec. 2025
The series was another attempt at adaptation of Rick Riordan's wildly popular book series after disappointing 2010 and 2013 feature films — and involved much more input from Riordan himself and much greater loyalty to his text.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disappointing
Adjective
Following a disappointing 3-14 season, Aaron Glenn will return to calling defensive plays in 2026.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Investors called on Novo Nordisk to pivot to sectors beyond weight loss after disappointing trial results for a new drug saw the Danish pharmaceutical giant’s stock plummet.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to excel at disappointing the American people.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 20 Dec. 2025
The series was another attempt at adaptation of Rick Riordan's wildly popular book series after disappointing 2010 and 2013 feature films — and involved much more input from Riordan himself and much greater loyalty to his text.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disappointing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disappointing
Adjective
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The backlash from certain parts of the media has been extremely saddening, particularly given how hard John works to raise awareness and understanding.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
23 Feb. 2026
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Gates has assembled a stimulating, illuminating, maddening, saddening, but often inspiring, story of their relations with the world and one another.—
Robert Lloyd,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Federal regulators are shutting down more than 550 commercial driving schools nationwide after finding unqualified instructors, inadequate testing and other safety failures.—
Josh Funk,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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In Texas, builders and contractors can be unlicensed, and Klepac has assisted clients who have needed remedial work due to inadequate construction design.—
Jessica Elliott,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Israel’s government has repeatedly criticized its counterpart in Australia for failing to address antisemitic attacks in the country.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The prosecution detailed nine separate errors made by Plamberger during the climb—from failing to bring bivy gear to failing to abide by a reasonable turnaround time—which collectively suggest a charge of gross negligence.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Erika plot is one of the several dissatisfying threads in this episode.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
14 Nov. 2025
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Last season, the Bruins strung together three wins against Rutgers, Nebraska and Iowa – but that team resembled Chip Kelly’s decent-if-dissatisfying regime.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Rain Precipitation might be Wuthering Heights the novel’s most canonical liquid as Northern England is a place where basically every single person and living creature is vitamin D deficient.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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And perhaps most important, by empowering Congress, not the president, to remedy deficient state electoral schemes, the Constitution prevents presidents from rewriting the election code by executive fiat and thus provides an additional safeguard against military dictatorship.—
Jeffrey Rosen,
The Atlantic,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Swedish team accused Canada of cheating, specifically reporting that Canada’s Marc Kennedy was illegally touching his stone.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
21 Feb. 2026
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The state has intervened in districts for reasons such as fiscal mismanagement, cheating scandals and consistently failing academic performance at a campus.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Admittedly, someone older might be critical or discouraging.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
19 Feb. 2026
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Yet seldom is heard a discouraging word when Darnold assesses what happened in New York, Carolina, San Francisco, or Minnesota.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The complaint alleges NeuralHash is a far inferior tool to PhotoDNA.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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How about make a product that costs so much that these customers feel compelled make their own inferior chip or join forces with second-place player AMD.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disappointing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disappointing. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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