unpropitious

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpropitious
Adjective
  • According to a Pew Research Center survey, half of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of the Supreme Court.
    Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The latest national polls from groups like Reuters/Ipsos, Civiqs, AP/NORC, Gallup and more have the president's overall approval rating marked as unfavorable once again.
    Joyce Orlando, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In short, the future feels scary and unpromising.
    Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • But no money was appropriated for reading reform beyond that amount, which would suggest an unpromising future for state support of reading reforms.
    Alan J. Borsuk, jsonline.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Iamaleava, the Tennessee transfer, threw for just 136 yards with one touchdown and an interception in a discouraging Bruins debut at the Rose Bowl.
    Matt Wadleigh, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
  • That’s a discouraging sign for inflation.
    Nino Paoli, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • But the situation is not hopeless.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Dealing with the horrors of the situation in Gaza within the sterile environment of a call center, its workers are feeling increasingly hopeless, caught in the political crossfire of an escalating situation.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • For three days, things were cheerless for Courtney Williams.
    Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 28 May 2025
  • Gomez gestured across the street toward 100 Centre Street—the criminal courthouse, a cheerless Art Deco building the color of cinder blocks.
    Sarah Lustbader, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Lanning’s retort might be a sore spot for Gundy, whose contract was restructured in December after a dismal 3-9 season in 2024, with the $1 million savings reportedly being allocated toward the players.
    Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Rooted in the labor movement of the 19th century, Labor Day originated during a dismal time for America's workforce, which faced long hours, low wages and unsafe working conditions.
    Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Canva Sans Variable Canva Sans Variable Recent surveys of consumer sentiment seem to echo these gloomy results.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Meanwhile, analysts at EY-Parthenon sounded gloomier about the housing market in a report that also came out on Tuesday, predicting that home prices will turn negative on an annual basis by year-end due to low demand and rising inventories.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Instead of those memories, survivors are left with the morbid archives of loss.
    Seema Jilani August 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
  • There are visual gags — case files scattered around jigsaw puzzle pieces, conversations about blood loss interrupted by Sudoku solving — that insist on finding humor in a pair of old folks taking such morbid extracurricular activities so seriously.
    Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unpropitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpropitious. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!