UNPROPITIOUS Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

unpropitious

adjective

Definition of unpropitious

as in unfavorable

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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 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 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 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

The polling situation was similarly unfavorable to Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 and 2018 elections, but relatively minor in comparison with the disparity in tonight's electoral results.

— David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
None of those circumstances turns an unfavorable employment decision into an unlawful one automatically.

— William Jones, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of unfavorable

Adjective

From those unpromising beginnings, Ondaatje found, in his writing, newness and, in language, a certain freedom.

— Amitava Kumar, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
The surprising discovery awaiting us below the thicket of its atmosphere has quashed the notion that worlds far from the Sun are unpromising destinations in the search for life-supporting environments.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 May 2026

Definition of unpromising

Adjective

Amid disheartening and disruptive school closures and thousands of position cuts districts have been forced to implement due to million-dollar budget shortfalls, vacancies have continued to climb.

— Andrew Spar, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
This has been especially disheartening because the strategy and RPG elements the series is known for have so far been excellent.

— Jay Peters, The Verge, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of disheartening

Adjective

For example, compared to young men, young women who completed the survey were about twice as likely to have felt persistently sad and hopeless, had poor mental health, seriously considered suicide or attempted suicide.

— Crystal Cederna, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
Cregger uses first-person-shooter point-of-view shots, with the long barrel of a rifle or automatic weapon lining up our sights; one running gag sees Bryan, completely hopeless with guns, having to shoot the locks off of gates.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of hopeless

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
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

Definition of cheerless

Adjective

But Medicare payments are not always as dismal as hospitals suggest.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
Those dismal ticket sales were behind earlier projections of $12 million to $15 million and nowhere near the $40 million domestic debut that box office experts suggest a movie of this size would need to justify its price tag.

— Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismal

Adjective

Wife Hilaria Baldwin is generally shot in full light and given the grace to look prepared for the moment, while Alec is often featured in gloomy found light or with uncomfortable intimacy from the passenger seats of cars and whatnot.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Even as Republicans distance themselves from an increasingly unpopular Trump ahead of the midterms, and even as Democrats prepare themselves for the potential for sweeping victories that could deliver them power in Congress, Farrar remains gloomy.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of gloomy

Browse Nearby Words

unprompted

unpropitious

unprosperous

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“Unpropitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpropitious. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unpropitious

adjective

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