disagreeable
Americanadjective
noun
-
an unpleasant or repugnant circumstance, attribute, thing, etc..
Bent on being cheerful, he suppressed any mention of the disagreeable in our conversation.
-
disagreeables, the disagreeable aspects of a situation, course of action, etc..
The pleasant features of the arrangement far outweigh the disagreeables.
adjective
-
not likable, esp bad-tempered, offensive, or disobliging
disagreeable remarks
-
not to one's liking; unpleasant
a disagreeable task
Other Word Forms
- disagreeability noun
- disagreeableness noun
- disagreeably adverb
- undisagreeable adjective
Etymology
Origin of disagreeable
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Middle French word desagreable. See dis- 1, agreeable
Explanation
If something is disagreeable, it's unpleasant, like the disagreeable smell of your wet sneakers. And if a person is disagreeable, they're rude or irritable, like your disagreeable upstairs neighbor. It's impossible to enjoy anything that's disagreeable, whether it's disagreeable weather that ruins your picnic or a disagreeable sibling who makes every family meal incredibly stressful. The original 14th century definition of this adjective was "not in agreement," while the now-obsolete unagreeable was used to mean "not in accord with one's taste or offensive to the senses."
Vocabulary lists containing disagreeable
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
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"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 12–22
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"The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen
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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.
In “Hard Feelings” Mr. Smith ponders how our most disagreeable emotions can serve us.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
"Death by China" and its creator — who struck me in person as disagreeable, stubborn and clearly intelligent — stuck with me for two reasons.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2025
Lead actor Garcia-Rulfo, a distant relative of the novel’s author, set out to find the human nature within the disagreeable character.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2024
After news of Hernández’s retirement, an “anti-highlight reel” surfaced on X, formerly Twitter, showcasing some of his most disagreeable calls.
From BBC • May 28, 2024
Which explains why moving between key- families that had flats to ones with sharps was dangerous and disagreeable.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
