unacceptable

adjective

ˌən-ik-ˈsep-tə-bəl How to pronounce unacceptable (audio)
Definition of unacceptablenext
as in wrong
falling short of a standard this work is entirely unacceptable

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 unacceptable Deploying models at scale exposes customer relationships, proprietary data, and brand reputation to a young technology that still fails at an unacceptable rate. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026 These efforts should be lauded because lawyering solely to please Trump without an iota of reasonableness according to prescribed rules of law to which all lawyers must adhered is simply unacceptable. — Miles J. Zaremski, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026 But critics, like the Civic Federation, are denouncing the budget plan, calling it an unacceptable abdication of responsibility to meet the fiscal realities facing the city. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 Detection is no substitute for prevention, not when consequences are truly unacceptable. — Andrew Ginter, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unacceptable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unacceptable
  1. wrong
  2. poor
  3. lame
  4. bad
  5. horrible
  6. terrible
  7. deficient
  8. awful
Adjective
  • Delay hydrangea pruning because cutting at the wrong time can eliminate next season’s blooms.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 5 Nov. 2026
  • On Wednesday, as the indexes were soaring, Jim Cramer had been warning that Wall Street's first reaction to the midterm Democratic wave might be wrong.
    — Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of wrong
Adjective
  • Disease that has spread to those organs is associated with poorer treatment outcomes.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • They were frustrated with teacher shortages and poor conditions at schools, including overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings.
    — James Cirrone , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • The lame-duck Senate has 22 legislative days scheduled before the new Congress is sworn in.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Trump was trounced, the country triumphed, and the long national nightmare is over, but for the rest of his lame-duck presidency.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • One option for overhauling the committee, according to people familiar with the situation, is broadening its focus beyond China to explore issues related to other bad foreign actors.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Phillips caught a bad break when her approach to the green hit a tree branch on its upward flight and dropped 20 yards short of the green.
    — Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of bad
Adjective
  • Their monthlong travel by ship was under horrible conditions.
    — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • While the fire was horrible, Hong said some blessings have emerged from the tragedy.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • The bat lay on its back, soggy and wretched, here in the waning hours of this terrible day.
    — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • An ugly fight between teammates during training camp was a terrible start to a season that officially began with a loss against North Carolina, a game in Dublin that TCU essentially sold, against the desires of Dykes.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Nearly one-third of adults in the United States may be iron deficient, according to a 2024 study.
    — Amanda Schupak, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The county attorney's office said the case was submitted to prosecutors in June 2024, but the case file was deficient and did not support charges.
    — Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of deficient
Adjective
  • In Obsession’s most horrifying sequence, the audience senses something awful is about to unfold several beats before the frenzy of blunt-force head trauma actually takes place on screen.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • As Philip awaits trial at home, Lucy processes the shock, too smart to believe this is all some awful misunderstanding.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of awful

Browse Nearby Words

unacceptability
unacceptable
unacceptably
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unacceptable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unacceptable. Accessed 8 Nov. 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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

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
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All