1
as in saddening
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2
as in inadequate
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Dissimilar Words
as in failing
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of
they were disappointed by the outcome of the big game
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disappointing
Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
And a reason, among others, why Friday night’s blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers was so disappointing.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Alongside calls for research on cell-phone-signal effects on health and vaccine injuries, the report went light on investigating pesticides and the food industry, disappointing some environmental figures.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disappointing
Adjective
The Skywalker Saga might have been disappointing, but Maul's criminal empire is a way better fate for the Sith Lord than becoming the star villain of his own trilogy.
—Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
And a reason, among others, why Friday night’s blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers was so disappointing.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
The 30-year-old said that the whirlwind experience — being traded, shaving his bushy beard, disappointing his new team and getting demoted in less than a week’s time — taught him a lot about himself.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Alongside calls for research on cell-phone-signal effects on health and vaccine injuries, the report went light on investigating pesticides and the food industry, disappointing some environmental figures.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disappointing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disappointing
Adjective
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The backlash from certain parts of the media has been extremely saddening, particularly given how hard John works to raise awareness and understanding.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
23 Feb. 2026
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Gates has assembled a stimulating, illuminating, maddening, saddening, but often inspiring, story of their relations with the world and one another.—
Robert Lloyd,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In April 1951, 16-year-old Barbara Rose Johns organized a student strike to protest the shabby conditions and inadequate education at her segregated Black high school in Prince Edward County, Virginia.—
Jonathan Entin,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
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But House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford blasted the Democratic proposal as inadequate in a state with many needs.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Making an actual charge is another as Saturday showed with several players getting close to Coughlin, but failing to make up the difference.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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His administration’s handling of the Iran war — from killing scores of schoolchildren based on outdated intelligence to failing to prepare for the closing of the Strait of Hormuz — is just the latest example of its systemic, and deadly, incompetence.—
James Speyer,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The Erika plot is one of the several dissatisfying threads in this episode.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
14 Nov. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Most were sterilized because they were believed to be mentally ill or mentally deficient.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
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In fact, 18% of postmenopausal women are deficient in vitamin B12, a 2025 study published in the Indian Menopause Society’s Journal of Mid-Life Health found.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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An angler competing in a walleye derby on Saskatchewan’s Montreal Lake was kicked out of the ice-fishing tournament Saturday after being accused of cheating.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
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Last year, a dozen people were charged with using and selling a smog-check cheating device.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Still, the latest uptick is a discouraging sign for house hunters as the spring buying season kicks off.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Beaten 4-1 at Bolton Wanderers, Leeds were effectively relegated to the second tier with two games remaining because of their vastly inferior goal difference.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
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During the Middle Ages, for example, many contemporary accounts from both Christian and Muslim societies depicted their opposing side as barbaric, blasphemous, and inferior.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disappointing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disappointing. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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