UNACCEPTABLE Synonyms: 177 Similar and Opposite Words

unacceptable

adjective

ˌən-ik-ˈsep-tə-bəl

Definition of unacceptable

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 Only public demand can upset this unacceptable political equilibrium. — David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026 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 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

Adjective

The company argues that much of the opposition is based on wrong or insufficient information, and contends that its operation wouldn’t drain resources or damage the environment, but would produce a hefty tax revenue boost for Cromwell.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 13 Nov. 2026
Moreover, when the wrong people are punished, the real criminals go free.

— Arne Duncan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of wrong

Adjective

Nearby residents have argued that the large apartment complex will be a poor fit for their neighborhood, citing concerns about traffic congestion and fire department access, among other things.

— Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
The Lions’ high-flying offense is at its best on turf, not nearly as fast on grass, and their poor red zone defense has been an issue.

— Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

In the meantime, Congress may consider a ban on stock trading by members of Congress during the post-election lame-duck session.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026
Blumenthal and others hope to make an 11th-hour push on policy priorities in the lame-duck session before the end of the year.

— Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of lame

Adjective

During that period, the number of women killed because of their gender rose by 44%, suggesting the problem is only getting worse.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Nov. 2026
Read my colleague Nate Freeman’s soaring eulogy for the Cybertruck, Elon Musk’s grand experiment in bad taste.

— Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of bad

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

The Importance of Understanding Soil Biology Such approaches will not eliminate the need for conventional fertilizers, particularly in soils where phosphorus is genuinely deficient.

— Rafael De Toledo, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2026
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

Definition of deficient

Adjective

Losing to the Tampa Bay Bucs starting an undrafted rookie quarterback was awful, and gagging the home game in overtime to the Awful Arizona Cardinals was worse; coming back in the fourth quarter to beat the Colts is almost just as bad.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2026
The only sign his group was listening to the awful things their friend/boss/son was being accused of was the very active facial expressions of Brand’s wife, Laura.

— Luke Jones, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of awful

Browse Nearby Words

unacceptability

unacceptable

unacceptably

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Unacceptable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unacceptable. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of unacceptable

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

lissome

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

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

Popular

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

Games & Quizzes