DISSATISFACTORY Synonyms: 177 Similar and Opposite Words

dissatisfactory

adjective

(ˌ)di(s)-ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-t(ə-)rē

Definition of dissatisfactory

as in unacceptable

falling short of a standard this report is completely dissatisfactory on several counts

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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 dissatisfactory This creates a dissatisfactory customer experience for the 90% of people stopped who actually paid for their items. — Guy Yehiav, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 Set primarily in the South, Plattner’s vignettes provide intimate glimpses into a series of singular events that, when strung together, paint a larger picture of the melancholic and frequently dissatisfactory state of existing in the modern world. — Leah Tyler, ajc, 30 May 2022 In ThedaCare’s case, an attorney described dissatisfactory management and positions in which employees had been chronically underpaid. — Molly Osberg, The New Republic, 25 Jan. 2022

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissatisfactory

Adjective

The idea of not spending evenings with my kid is, kids are, is completely unacceptable.

— Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
OpenAI took months to discover the incident and notify the Australian agencies affected — that’s unacceptable by my standard.

— Rumman Chowdhury, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of unacceptable

Adjective

Its argument is that insurers have been pricing wildfire risk the wrong way, by looking backward at statistics and sorting homes by zip code.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrong

Adjective

Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
That receiver sends that poor defender into next week at the pylon.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

Bajaria may also have hit thin ice with Sarandos after the streamer won just 16 Primetime Emmy Awards this year — its worst showing since 2016 and down from 30 in 2025.

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
The size of the boat, the distance from the tow boat's berth and how bad the boat is stuck will all factor into the final invoice.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of bad

Adjective

The travel investigation doesn't establish that the firm's engineering designs were deficient and nothing in the records independently establishes that the performance adjustment was improper.

— Tyler Horst, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
There’s lots of neutral hues available but the sunny yellow will brighten up any window-deficient bathroom.

— Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of deficient

Adjective

But what an imaginative launching pad to interrogate the nature of greatness, the unsatisfactory acknowledgements of one’s own mediocrity, the seemingly unjust parceling out of genius from God.

— Doni Wilson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Sep. 2026
For City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, the investigation’s conclusion was unsatisfactory.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of unsatisfactory

Adjective

But real power, particularly in numbers, can make things happen or stop really disastrous things from happening.

— Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
The 46-year-old was dismissed from the Mets halfway through the 2026 season after a disastrous start, which included a 12-game losing streak in April.

— Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of disastrous

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dissatisfaction

dissatisfactory

dissatisfied

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“Dissatisfactory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissatisfactory. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dissatisfactory

adjective

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