displeasing 1 of 2

adjective

as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses the new hotel is a displeasing mix of architectural styles

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

displeasing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of displease
as in dissatisfying
to make discontented her coworkers' tendency to pry displeased her

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 displeasing
Adjective
While certain oils work well together (like lemon and tea tree, sweet orange and cinnamon, peppermint and rosemary), aim to mix only two to three oils when blending to avoid a displeasing or overpowering fragrance. — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Nov. 2025
Verb
The sickly scent of alcohol filled the air and, when mixed with accompanying cigar smoke, combined for an odor most might find displeasing. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026 But many Spotify users voiced displeasure at the change-up, with some complaining that the disco ball looked pixelated on a small phone screen and, generally, was visually displeasing. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for displeasing
  1. unpleasant
  2. dissatisfying
  3. unpleasing
  4. annoying
  5. harsh
  6. irritating
  7. bad
  8. disturbing
Adjective
  • As unpleasant as his job might be at the moment, Harbaugh is ostensibly safe.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Kings and Avalanche aren’t really rivals in the way Dallas and Colorado are, but there’s definitely some unpleasant familiarity after a playoff series last year.
    — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Verb
  • His 2-3 playoff record came after a long dissatisfying postseason stretch from Chan Gailey (0-2), Bill Parcells (0-2), Phillips (1-2) and before McCarthy (1-3).
    — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
Definition of dissatisfying
Adjective
  • The identity of the unpleasing Lindsay Marriott’s slayer has no pressing interest.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The remarks not only referred to the aesthetics of the game – tedious matches devoid of skillful merit that were unpleasing to watch.
    — Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Definition of unpleasing
Verb
  • Kids in all three countries loved learning dances from TikTok and annoying their siblings.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Of course, this would depend on whether the managers choose to pick their strongest teams in what for some is a meaningless, even annoying extra fixture, for squads who just want to go home.
    — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of annoying
Adjective
  • Growing up under the harsh system of segregation influenced Pillay's interest in human rights and the law.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Growing up under the harsh system of segregation influenced Pillay’s interest in human rights and the law.
    — Stefanie Dazio, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of harsh
Verb
  • Tactics such as ragebait have only added to the fatigue, irritating enthusiasts already frustrated by the relentless churn of slop.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The first step to brighter-looking underarms is figuring out what might be irritating them in the first place.
    — Glamour, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of irritating
Adjective
  • But then came the nightmare of Game 3, one of the Sox’s worst performances in weeks.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Specifically, people with worse fever tended to have more of a protein called flagellin in their systems than those with little to no fever.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bad
Verb
  • If anything, the University of Toronto researchers discovered, we humans are the ones disturbing our dogs’ sleep.
    — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
  • By mimicking the oarfish’s fluid control, Shepherd’s team aims to construct large, silent robotic monitors capable of observing fragile ocean ecosystems without ever disturbing the wildlife inside them.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbing

Browse Nearby Words

displeases
displeasing
displeasure
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Displeasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/displeasing. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of abscond

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All