as in wrong
falling short of a standard this work is entirely unacceptable

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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 unacceptable The only unacceptable choice is to stand still. Peter Bendor-Samuel, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 This is completely unacceptable. Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Any other items deemed inappropriate or unacceptable by management. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2025 Such clouds pose an unacceptable risk of lightning, which could kill a launch in the cradle. Mike Wall, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unacceptable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unacceptable
Adjective
  • Parasite The first non-English language film to win a Best Picture Oscar, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite centers on the Kims, who live on the wrong side of the tracks in Seoul, South Korea.
    Emy LaCroix, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Joveljic stepped up and placed the penalty kick into his right-hand corner, while goalkeeper Brad Stuver dove the wrong way.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But prorating three years of player profits down to 12 months, as UEFA’s rule does, reduces the immediate efficacy of successful trading in the market, the very strategy that poorer clubs increasingly rely on to climb the ladder.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Like most extended car warranty providers, CarShield excludes pre-existing conditions that existed before your warranty took effect, as well as damage resulting from poor maintenance, neglect or intentional abuse.
    Brian Sloan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Shootouts are lame in comparison.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
  • On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • This was a classic Smith performance with tons of yardage and some risky throws with both good and bad results.
    Mike Sando, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • You were called something much worse, and [it was] accepted.
    Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Although no publicly available evaluation has classified Stines as mentally deficient, a number of coworkers and friends interviewed by state police said Stines was acting strangely in the days leading up to the shooting of Mullins.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
  • In addition to widening the road from two to four lanes from San Dieguito Road to Via de la Valle, the narrow bridge deemed functionally obsolete and structurally deficient, will be replaced with a new 354-foot-long and 76-foot-wide bridge.
    Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The horrible accident — later determined to be caused by pilot error — remains the deadliest plane crash in Charlotte history.
    Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But then came a horrible deep-ball attempt intended for Stefon Diggs that Isaiah Pola-Mao intercepted.
    Steve Buckley, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But for the rest of us mere mortals, the idea of stepping into an ice bath for 10 minutes a day is awful.
    Big Think, Big Think, 3 Sep. 2025
  • And then these families are in this awful position.
    Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Overall, this wasn’t a terrible episode, but having our heroes start in the UK and then end up in Spain in the first episode felt rushed and wasteful.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Both men are good, both men are bad and both men have made terrible mistakes.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Unacceptable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unacceptable. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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