disappointing 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of disappointingnext
1
as in saddening

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in inadequate

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

disappointing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of disappoint
as in failing
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of they were disappointed by the outcome of the big game

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 disappointing
Adjective
To explain this thinking, Lee jabs the New York Mets amid their disappointing MLB season. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026 The response from Brooklyn Can’t Wait was beyond disappointing. — Doug Schneider, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
Wilder kept his diagnosis private from the public, in hopes of not disappointing his. — Niya Doyle, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026 Balogun and other commentators called the decision disappointing at the time. — Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for disappointing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disappointing
  1. saddening
  2. inadequate
  3. failing
  4. dissatisfying
  5. deficient
  6. cheating
  7. discouraging
  8. inferior
Adjective
  • Actor Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer at 43, shocking and saddening fans.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The result is a bonus both surprising and saddening.
    — Bob Brody, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2026
Definition of saddening
Adjective
  • According to the whistleblower, testing of this new system has been inadequate.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Gartner predicts that over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027, citing escalating costs, unclear business value and inadequate risk controls.
    — Emily Lewis-Pinnell, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of inadequate
Verb
  • Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez provided the margin to prevent a tie, which under House rules is the same as a measure failing outright.
    — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Set against the competitive world of Fleet Street, Murdoch purchases the failing Sun and recruits Lamb, a working-class editor with a very different idea of what a newspaper can be.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of failing
Adjective
  • The Erika plot is one of the several dissatisfying threads in this episode.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
  • Last season, the Bruins strung together three wins against Rutgers, Nebraska and Iowa – but that team resembled Chip Kelly’s decent-if-dissatisfying regime.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Definition of dissatisfying
Adjective
  • Yet researchers have found that nearly a third of adults in the United States are iron deficient.
    — Anahad O’Connor, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In a deficient area, the exception is exposed, and to last, the exception must be exceptional somewhere else.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of deficient
Verb
  • In this case, the reward was solving the ExploitGym questions and the hacking was literally hacking—cheating on the test and then hacking into Hugging Face in an effort to cover up the cheating (more on that below).
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Model 3 and Model Y adopted less elaborate press-and-pivot handles, helping give the cars their clean, wind-cheating profiles.
    — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheating
Adjective
  • Then a rough 2025, a crowded rotation in 2026 and a discouraging bullpen stint led Pfaadt back to Reno.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • However, there is nothing more discouraging than bringing home a piece of salmon from the grocery store and opening it up to a slight fishy smell.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of discouraging
Adjective
  • Gwyn’s, however, who Richard considers to be his inferior, has jettisoned into success and is in the running for a huge literary prize.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Curiously, cobalt was linked with a small rise in amyloid-beta proteins in the inferior temporal cortex.
    — Mike McRae August 31, New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of inferior

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Cite this Entry

“Disappointing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disappointing. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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