Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Not likely to develop in a desirable manner.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not promising; not affording a favorable prospect of success, of excellence, of profit, of interest, etc.; not looking as if likely to turn out well: as, an unpromising youth; an unpromising season.
  • Synonyms Inauspicious, unpropitious, unfavorable, untoward.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Not promising

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective unlikely to bring about favorable results or enjoyment

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word unpromising.

Examples

  • Sir Joshua says above, that even "unpromising" subjects may be thus treated.

    Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 53, No. 328, February, 1843 Various

  • In this kind of unpromising context, the Industry Interface is a big step.

    IndiaPRwire - Press/News Releases 2010

  • Exactly the kind of unpromising non-answer that the local bureaucracy excells at.

    Imagethief 2008

  • Exactly the kind of unpromising non-answer that the local bureaucracy excells at.

    Chinalyst - China blogs in English 2008

  • Exactly the kind of unpromising non-answer that the local bureaucracy excells at.

    Imagethief 2008

  • Exactly the kind of unpromising non-answer that the local bureaucracy excells at.

    Chinalyst - China blogs in English 2008

  • Exactly the kind of unpromising non-answer that the local bureaucracy excells at.

    Imagethief 2008

  • Exactly the kind of unpromising non-answer that the local bureaucracy excells at.

    China Media Blog 2008

  • Exactly the kind of unpromising non-answer that the local bureaucracy excells at.

    Imagethief 2008

  • Critics also included officials in the White House, which shared many of the antipoverty goals of the campaign, but worried about what one official called its “unpromising circumstances.”

    Burial for a King Rebecca Burns 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.