1
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
an unpleasing combination of flavors in the dish
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
an unpleasing combination of fuchsia and orange
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of unpleasing
Rosemary makes one of the best companion plants for apple trees because of its strong scent that's unpleasing to critters looking to snack on a juicy red apple.
—
Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 16 Feb. 2026
Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.
—Eric Tegler, Popular Mechanics, 1 Oct. 2019
His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.
—SI.com, 1 Feb. 2018
Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 16 Feb. 2026
Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.
—Eric Tegler, Popular Mechanics, 1 Oct. 2019
His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.
—SI.com, 1 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpleasing
Adjective
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Trapped allergens can affect the air quality in your bedroom, triggering congestion, scalp itching and irritation, not to mention unpleasant odors.—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
3 Mar. 2026
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So Miss Manners believes that your sister should apologize — not to her rude guest, but to the other guests, for having been subjected to such an unpleasant scene.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Perhaps the most ugly truth of human spaceflight is that the ISS is old and its days are numbered.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
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Okay, let’s get into the other good, bad, and ugly from episode 2 of Survivor 50, and — shameless plug alert!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Engineers have long searched for efficient electric alternatives that can survive the harsh conditions inside industrial systems.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
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Critics say the danger faced by agents whose names are made public is overblown, almost always limited to harsh and violent words lobbed from behind a laptop or phone screen.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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One of most hideous images in American poetry, and yet one of the most memorable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
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Next, law enforcement must rigorously interrogate the men and women who exchanged chummy emails with Epstein and played in his hideous sandbox.—
Amy Wallace,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Knicks were held to less than 100 points for only the seventh time and had their fourth-worst three-point shooting performance of the season, going eight for 34.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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The Pacers have the second-worst record in the NBA, 1 ½ games better than Sacramento.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Buckley and Bale’s chemistry has no juice from the start, the characters too wrapped up in grotesque prosthetics and inky makeup and gender polemics to generate real heat between them.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2026
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And the violent scenes aren’t grotesque or didactic — think of Miles’ muted trumpet sound reconfigured as resurrection visuals, of his ability to play and stage ballads so well that their uptempo momentum moves into territories too macabre to mute.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unpleasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpleasing. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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