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
  • But that doesn't mean that this mortgage interest rate climate is unfavorable to borrowers.
    Matt Richardson, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Xi welcomed the comments from Merz, who faces a tough balancing act of redefining an economic relationship that has been increasingly unfavorable to Germany, but which remains central to its core industrial interests.
    Reuters, NBC news, 26 Feb. 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
  • 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
  • Even Vancouver’s younger developmental players appear to be stagnating, a disheartening undercurrent to these early days in Vancouver’s latest unintentional rebuilding effort.
    Thomas Drance, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • Every two years, would-be governors, senators, lawmakers, political newcomers and hopeless hopefuls snake through the second floor of the Capitol, taking a very public step toward power.
    Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • For three days, things were cheerless for Courtney Williams.
    Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • Burgum appears to have been saddled with the task of making coal-burning and its dismal emissions look just as good.
    Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Freshman phenom Darryn Peterson had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but struggled through another dismal shooting night, going 3-for-18 (2-for-11 from 3).
    Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • According to surveys, Americans already have a gloomy outlook on the economy, largely because of the lingering effects of the price spikes of the past five years.
    Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
  • These gaudy hijinks contrast with the dark, gloomy prison cell where Giovanni Pandico (Lino Musella) is incarcerated.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 1 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Unpropitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpropitious. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

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