1
as in disagreeable
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in angry
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in rejecting
to be unwilling to grant
the committee disapproved the proposal to allow casino gambling in the state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refusing
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
disapproved the first set of blueprints submitted by the firm
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Recent Examples of disapproving
Emily Guskin, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
Fifty-one percent of respondents approved of Healey’s job performance with 40% disapproving and 8% neither approving or disapproving.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Independents hewed more closely to the Democratic view with 76% disapproving and 24% approving.
—Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Anything that was anti-Jewish—a story about exclusion, an obstacle that hadn’t come down, a disapproving enumeration of supposedly Jewish traits—was possibly more fascinating.
—Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
Disapproval of how Trump has handled border security and immigration edged up by double digits compared to last summer and spring, with 49% strongly disapproving of his actions.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
An Ipsos poll from April 2025 found Americans slightly more disapproving (53 percent) than approving (46 percent) of his handling of immigration.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
That brought a disapproving interjection from Judge Shant during a sentencing hearing that lasted 30 minutes.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In May, most of those grants were summarily yanked by the disapproving federal government.
—Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent polling bolsters the belief among his possible primary foes that Fetterman could be vulnerable in 2028, with 62% of Pennsylvania Democrats disapproving of his job in a Quinnipiac poll released last month.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The Internet is…the Internet, and soon Shah is facing escalating threats and disapproving media coverage, including a column by his ex (Ritu Arya’s Yasmin), arguing that a Pakistani-British man playing James Bond won’t erase the character’s neo-colonial stench, so why bother?
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Having been subjected to a Beltway cross-examination and at least one disapproving social media salvo by the president, Netflix may have come to the conclusion that the regulatory fix was in.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, 57% of voters disapproving of his handling of the economy in a recent Washington Post/Reuters/Ipsos poll.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026
With more and more Americans disapproving of ICE’s tactics, Trump needs to find a middle ground to reassure the nation, which before the election supported his deportation policy.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
Providing additional comic and vocal support were Craig Colclough as the scheming Don Basilio, Tasha Hoduao Koontz as Bartolo’s disapproving maid Berta and Joseph Calzada as Fiorello.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
There's an obvious partisan gap, the poll showed, with roughly three-quarters of Democrats approving of the decision and almost two-thirds of Republicans disapproving.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Those opinions are almost identical to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted February 28-March 1 that found 27% approving and 43% disapproving, 16 points underwater.
—Emily Guskin, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
Fifty-one percent of respondents approved of Healey’s job performance with 40% disapproving and 8% neither approving or disapproving.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Independents hewed more closely to the Democratic view with 76% disapproving and 24% approving.
—Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Anything that was anti-Jewish—a story about exclusion, an obstacle that hadn’t come down, a disapproving enumeration of supposedly Jewish traits—was possibly more fascinating.
—Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
Disapproval of how Trump has handled border security and immigration edged up by double digits compared to last summer and spring, with 49% strongly disapproving of his actions.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
An Ipsos poll from April 2025 found Americans slightly more disapproving (53 percent) than approving (46 percent) of his handling of immigration.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
That brought a disapproving interjection from Judge Shant during a sentencing hearing that lasted 30 minutes.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In May, most of those grants were summarily yanked by the disapproving federal government.
—Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
Verb
By then the oil companies, mindful of the world’s disapproving eyes, had positioned the gas flares among the vegetation and pointed the flames horizontally to limit their visibility from a distance.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent polling bolsters the belief among his possible primary foes that Fetterman could be vulnerable in 2028, with 62% of Pennsylvania Democrats disapproving of his job in a Quinnipiac poll released last month.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The Internet is…the Internet, and soon Shah is facing escalating threats and disapproving media coverage, including a column by his ex (Ritu Arya’s Yasmin), arguing that a Pakistani-British man playing James Bond won’t erase the character’s neo-colonial stench, so why bother?
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Having been subjected to a Beltway cross-examination and at least one disapproving social media salvo by the president, Netflix may have come to the conclusion that the regulatory fix was in.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, 57% of voters disapproving of his handling of the economy in a recent Washington Post/Reuters/Ipsos poll.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026
With more and more Americans disapproving of ICE’s tactics, Trump needs to find a middle ground to reassure the nation, which before the election supported his deportation policy.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
Providing additional comic and vocal support were Craig Colclough as the scheming Don Basilio, Tasha Hoduao Koontz as Bartolo’s disapproving maid Berta and Joseph Calzada as Fiorello.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
There's an obvious partisan gap, the poll showed, with roughly three-quarters of Democrats approving of the decision and almost two-thirds of Republicans disapproving.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disapproving
Adjective
-
Another bill would put regulations around data centers, although lawmakers in the final days stripped out some of the language that tech companies found disagreeable.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The day was cold and disagreeable, disappointing those who hoped for warm, sunny weather for the contest between Bogardus and Carver.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Relatives of a family of four killed in a car crash in San Francisco are angry and disappointed by the sentence handed down to the driver on Friday afternoon.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Leaders in the United Arab Emirates, which has been bearing the brunt of Iranian attacks, are angry at how things have unfolded.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The city was aware that rejecting the contract put at least $90 million in grant funding at risk, Councilwoman Sarah Parady said in December.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Easier, maybe, to imagine Blume rejecting the general proposition of an author biography, which seeks to root a subject’s work in their specific experiences, dislodging them from a supposedly neutral or unmarked position.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has broadly defended his aggressive deportation campaign and blamed local officials for refusing to cooperate.—
Suryatapa Chakraborty,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Douglas said some providers fear losing positions or facing consequences for refusing to treat patients or perform actions that violate their ethical principles.—
Lucas Aulbach,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
However, the system isn't completely antisocial.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Trump is at once a symptom of this disease and its apotheosis, a living representation of all the ways the United States has encouraged, tolerated and rewarded the most selfish and antisocial behaviors imaginable, at least among a certain class of person.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Upon his return, Tagovailoa gave a rather indignant response to those who questioned his NFL future.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Still, these many practicalities fuse with the film’s emotional stories of indignant independence and romantic conflict thanks to a sense of analytical observation that is inherently social.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers enter the year heavy favorites to repeat, but several clubs have loaded up in hopes of denying the Dodgers a three-peat.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
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Before his killing, Naini issued a statement denying the Israeli prime minister's claim that Iran's missile production has been decimated.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While the data show overall birth outcomes improving — declining rates of prematurity, low birth weight, and infant mortality — disparities are still prevalent, particularly for Black women.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The grand jury had the options of handing up an indictment, declining to indict and issuing a report known as a presentment.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disapproving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disapproving. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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