unpleasant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unpleasant
Explanation
Something unpleasant is disagreeable, painful, or annoying in some way. No one likes unpleasant experiences. Since pleasant things are enjoyable in some way, unpleasant things are hard to enjoy. Being in pain is unpleasant. So is being stuck in traffic. It's unpleasant when someone is rude. If your feelings or senses don't like something, it's likely unpleasant. The word pleasant comes from the French plaisir, "to please." If something doesn't please you, it's unpleasant.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We were always challenging one another and in retrospect, I think it was great for both of us — that tension. Unpleasant as it was, it ended up creating, I don’t know, something dark.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2023
Unpleasant countertop bin smells haven’t been a problem, she said.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2021
Unpleasant experiences when out with friends in mixed clubs is part of the reason the two welcomed the idea of an all-women's rave.
From BBC • Aug. 11, 2019
Unpleasant to hear, but the police are unlikely to put much effort into a search for your items.
From The New Yorker • Mar. 25, 2019
Unpleasant, too, of course, but that couldn’t be helped.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
