1
as in disagreeable
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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
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
However, her disapproving expression quickly turned positive again as Conlin's vows continued.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025
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
After House Democrats revealed plans to force votes disapproving of the president’s Canada tariffs as soon as this week, GOP leaders sought to resuscitate their year-long procedural blockade that keeps those resolutions off the floor.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 10 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
His mother was disapproving as well.
—Gabriel Sherman, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Approval ratings of the president were at -3 percentage points, with 44 percent of respondents approving and 47 percent disapproving, based on I&I/TIPP polling.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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
However, her disapproving expression quickly turned positive again as Conlin's vows continued.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025
Verb
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
After House Democrats revealed plans to force votes disapproving of the president’s Canada tariffs as soon as this week, GOP leaders sought to resuscitate their year-long procedural blockade that keeps those resolutions off the floor.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 10 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
His mother was disapproving as well.
—Gabriel Sherman, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Approval ratings of the president were at -3 percentage points, with 44 percent of respondents approving and 47 percent disapproving, based on I&I/TIPP polling.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disapproving
Adjective
-
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
-
This will also result in a disagreeable flavor most people will not enjoy.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Fans have been angry that the production fired actor Melissa Barrera for speaking out in favor of Palestine.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Julia Ross, who loves Cunningham for her fourth grader, felt angry that Kennedy came to the school for what felt to her like a photo opportunity.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Two in 5 Gen Zers are pursuing blue-collar fields, rejecting the collegiate path and learning trades, according to a May 2025 survey of 1,434 young adults by Resume Builder.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The Kansas Court of Appeals handed CoreCivic its latest in a string of legal defeats, rejecting the private prison company’s argument that it should be allowed to reopen its Leavenworth facility as an immigrant detention center before securing a local zoning permit.—
Matthew Kelly
February 27,
Kansas City Star,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that Madrid’s position of refusing to allow the country’s military bases to be used in the ongoing Iran war had now changed.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Last month, the agency faced a firestorm of criticism for initially refusing to review an application from Moderna for an mRNA flu vaccine before ultimately accepting the application with some adjustments.—
Meg Tirrell,
CNN Money,
5 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
-
But the sight of a parking meter, especially where there hadn’t been one before, will surely trigger an indignant response.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Depictions of such raw humanity have the capacity to shape us into more compassionate community members, more thoughtful voters and more indignant seekers of justice.—
Anya Sesay,
jsonline.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dropped the hammer on Anthropic Friday for denying the military ‘unobstructed’ access to its AI models.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
28 Feb. 2026
-
In fact, praying to saints or ancestors elevated them above the status of mere mortals, effectively denying the singular might of God.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Iranian retaliatory attacks appear to be declining — ballistic missile strikes have fallen by 90% and drone attacks by 83%, according to US Central Command — potentially easing pressure on Gulf states that have faced Iranian strikes in recent days.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of coming from declining direct-to-home satellite taxes, the money would come directly from state sales and use taxes.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disapproving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disapproving. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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