dissatisfying 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in disappointing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in insufficient

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

dissatisfying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dissatisfy
1
as in failing
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of a restaurant serving portions that will not dissatisfy even the heartiest eater

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in displeasing
to make discontented an administrative assistant dissatisfied by her meager paycheck

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 dissatisfying
Adjective
The Erika plot is one of the several dissatisfying threads in this episode. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissatisfying
  1. disappointing
  2. insufficient
  3. displeasing
  4. saddening
  5. poor
  6. annoying
  7. cheerless
  8. short
Adjective
  • Sunday's disappointing loss to New England aside, this could be the deepest team of the Josh Allen era.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The disappointing performance in Miami’s 15-10 loss prompted him to leave the locker room for a quiet moment with himself after Sunday’s game.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of disappointing
Adjective
  • Avila’s lawyer, Nancy Doumanian, previously disputed the judge’s tentative finding that there was insufficient evidence Avila had suffered permanent nerve damage.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The skilled-trades shortage is commonly discussed as an economic problem—one of unfilled jobs, aging workforces, and insufficient training capacity.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of insufficient
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
Definition of displeasing
Adjective
  • Actor Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer at 43, shocking and saddening fans.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The result is a bonus both surprising and saddening.
    — Bob Brody, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2026
Definition of saddening
Adjective
  • Such diagnoses can carry an extraordinarily poor neonatal prognosis.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Road accidents are frequent in Africa’s most populous country, in part due to poor road conditions and lax enforcement of traffic laws.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of poor
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
  • The storm let up before daybreak, but the morning was gray and cheerless with a cold wind.
    — Elwyn "Bud" Myers, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Gomez gestured across the street toward 100 Centre Street—the criminal courthouse, a cheerless Art Deco building the color of cinder blocks.
    — Sarah Lustbader, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of cheerless
Adjective
  • The quick short corner surprised Greenville (6-16-5), and Barea hit the edge of the 18-yard box before lifting a cross to the far post.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Each snapshot showed the electron distribution at a slightly different moment, allowing the researchers to follow quantum motion that occurs on extremely short timescales.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of short

Browse Nearby Words

dissatisfy
dissatisfying
dissect
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dissatisfying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissatisfying. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of discreet

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
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
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All