as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard an unsatisfactory first attempt at building a birdhouse

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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 unsatisfactory Divorce is more stigmatized in these cultures, and individuals are less likely to seek separation, even in unsatisfactory marriages. Mark Travers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025 The sheer number of employees that were terminated in a matter of days belies any argument that these terminations were due to the employees' individual unsatisfactory performance or conduct... Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025 Proctor was officially fired from his post on March 19 of this year — just two weeks before the start of Read's second trial — for what Massachusetts State Police said was unsatisfactory performance and a charge related to alcoholic beverages, according to GBH News. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025 The trial board found Proctor guilty of three charges of unsatisfactory performance and one charge of consumption of alcohol while on duty from January to August 2022. Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unsatisfactory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsatisfactory
Adjective
  • Cutting them to fund tax breaks for the wealthy is unacceptable.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Change fatigue can cause corporate leadership to become more willing to accept the unwelcome, and to normalize the unacceptable.
    Michael Peregrine, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Consumer spending softened, increasing 1.8%, down from a 4% rise in the fourth quarter, but a decent performance in light of stock market turmoil and poor weather early in the quarter.
    Paul Davidson, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • Director of football Jon Rudkin is the man most hold accountable for the recent poor recruitment record.
    Rob Tanner, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Some would argue that picking a celebrity is the wrong way forward.
    Footwear News, Footwear News, 5 May 2025
  • Once again, showrunner and co-creator Craig Mazin is reframing an action typically seen as good and right as, potentially, bad and wrong.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 May 2025
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • President Donald Trump intends to completely reimagine U.S. trade relations with our closest partners and fiercest rivals, for better or worse.
    Charles Singh, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
  • For too long, environmentalism was focused on stopping bad things, such as pollution.
    Anna Broughel, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The Mount Zion Road/Columbia Hollow bridge was part of the 2017 county bridge plan to replace 15 bridges deemed structurally deficient by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Apr. 2025
  • While this option can work for people who are deficient in vitamin A, according to experts, vaccination is the only way to prevent measles, as vitamin A is not an alternative.
    Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Unsatisfactory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsatisfactory. Accessed 11 May. 2025.

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