unpropitious

Definition of unpropitiousnext

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
  • Among Jewish Democrats, opinion skews against AIPAC, with 37% having an unfavorable opinion and 29% favorable.
    Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Despite the unfavorable wind, the mark was more than 14 feet farther than the gold medal-winning throw at the Olympic Games two weeks later.
    Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • This otherwise unpromising setup is made not just bearable, but a genuine pleasure by the central trio.
    Judy Berman, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
  • 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
Adjective
  • But the growth was slightly slower than economists expected, and a measure of prices accelerated at its fastest pace since 2022 in a potentially discouraging signal for inflation.
    Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Both hosts often wept as Guthrie described her emotional journey through the increasingly discouraging investigation into her mother’s whereabouts.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Transplant Shock is Avoidable Inviting the opportunity for transplant shock has got to be one of the most disheartening gardening mistakes out there.
    Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Sure, the Longhorns (21-15, 9-9) endured an up-and-down regular season and suffered a disheartening loss to Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
    Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • During that stretch, Davis has waffled between hopeless and hopeful on a weekly basis.
    Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
  • After a while, a group of hopeless employees – sent to a training program – wreaks havoc on each one of them.
    Marta Balaga, Variety, 9 Apr. 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
  • They’ve been shut out three times during this dismal stretch.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The other bright spot on the otherwise dismal landscape of our news world happened during the coldest, darkest days of January.
    Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The late queen’s memory looms over the monarchy after a 70-year reign that saw her evolve from the glamorous young sovereign who cheered Britain during the gloomy post-war years to the beloved national grandmother who rallied the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    ABC News, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Americans gloomy on economy; Wall Street cashes in Americans recorded a 74-year low in pessimism about the economy at the same time Wall Street closed the most lucrative trading quarter since at least 2014.
    Diane Brady, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Unpropitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpropitious. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

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