as in unfavorable
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Recent Examples of unpropitious
Handing the baton to Harris at this unpropitious time for Democrats is like Napoleon’s handing off his military command to Marshal Ney to conduct the disastrous French retreat from Moscow in 1812, featuring 500,000 French casualties.
—
Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024
Here are a handful of quick Thesaurus pulls to help paint a picture of how the unit played: unpropitious, cataclysmic, demoralizing, execrable.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2023
The exhausted refugees are greeted by a functionary of the Relief Committee with the unpropitious nickname Statistics Babu.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 26 Dec. 2022
That will be an unpropitious setting for launching a network: if the teams are unclear on the goal, the risk of confusion is considerable.
—Steve Denning, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2021
JoyFish sits in a strip mall in an unpropitious space that has seen several restaurants come and go.
—Tan Vinh, The Seattle Times, 11 July 2017
Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024
Here are a handful of quick Thesaurus pulls to help paint a picture of how the unit played: unpropitious, cataclysmic, demoralizing, execrable.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2023
The exhausted refugees are greeted by a functionary of the Relief Committee with the unpropitious nickname Statistics Babu.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 26 Dec. 2022
That will be an unpropitious setting for launching a network: if the teams are unclear on the goal, the risk of confusion is considerable.
—Steve Denning, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2021
JoyFish sits in a strip mall in an unpropitious space that has seen several restaurants come and go.
—Tan Vinh, The Seattle Times, 11 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpropitious
Adjective
-
El Nino conditions often suppress activity during the Atlantic hurricane season by producing unfavorable atmospheric winds.—
Dan Peck,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
But the plain facts of the situation are obviously unfavorable to American interests.—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This is the unpromising backdrop to Keir Starmer's trip to Beijing this week in the first by a British prime minister since Theresa May visited eight years ago.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
-
In short, the future feels scary and unpromising.—
Kian Bakhtiari,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Ninth-grader Kallan Forsyth said the strict dress code can feel discouraging, but earning sneaker day feels rewarding.—
Alexa Liacko,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
My own watch party got off to a discouraging start.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The disheartening shift has continued since Katherine, whose name CNN agreed to change to protect her privacy, gave birth to her daughter.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Troy Rice, like most golfers, says few things are more disheartening than slicing the ball on a swing that feels good.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
What was once a hopeless 11-12 team is now a surging 17-13 squad with real designs on sneaking into the NCAA Tournament.—
Jim Root,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In a legal career that spanned more than four decades, Rosenbaum took on some of South Florida’s toughest, most hopeless cases.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The storm let up before daybreak, but the morning was gray and cheerless with a cold wind.—
Elwyn "Bud" Myers,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
-
This episode is disappointingly cheerless overall—it’s not frosted, tinsely, glowing, silver with bells and mist, or snowy.—
Jenny Singer,
Glamour,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Washington state already ranks a dismal 45th out of the 50 states in tax friendliness because of a heavy burden of sales, capital gains, property and excise taxes.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
-
On Sunday, the Sharks were a dismal 6-for-17 on defensive-zone draws – and 22-for-51 overall.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The gloomy, slow-motion aesthetic to the footage has more of a Zack Snyder vibe compared to Holland’s three previous outings as Spider-Man.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
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The energetic print is a strategic way to liven up even the most basic outdoor furniture arrangements, making future pool days feel that much brighter or even bringing back some life to the backyard on gloomy days.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unpropitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpropitious. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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