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Synonyms

unpleasant

American  
[uhn-plez-uhnt] / ʌnˈplɛz ənt /

adjective

  1. not pleasant; displeasing; disagreeable; offensive.

    an unpleasant taste; an unpleasant situation; an unpleasant manner.
unpleasant British  
/ ʌnˈplɛzənt /

adjective

  1. not pleasant or agreeable

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unpleasantly adverb

Etymology

Origin of unpleasant

First recorded in 1525–35; un- 1 + pleasant

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.

Like other GLP-1s, Foundayo has some unpleasant side effects.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

The intensity is meant to stay tolerable, but it can get unpleasant if pushed too high.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

They then evaluated impulsivity by observing how well the flies could stop moving when exposed to strong airflow, which they naturally find unpleasant.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

National gas prices also hit an unpleasant peak Tuesday when they surpassed the $4 mark for the first time in nearly four years.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

He flips it on and reaches one arm across the back of the couch, gifting us with an unpleasant whiff of his armpits.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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.