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Synonyms

unpromising

American  
[uhn-prom-uh-sing] / ʌnˈprɒm ə sɪŋ /

adjective

  1. unlikely to be favorable or successful, as the weather, a situation, or a career.

unpromising British  
/ ʌnˈprɒmɪsɪŋ /

adjective

  1. not showing any promise of favourable development or future success

"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

  • unpromisingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of unpromising

First recorded in 1625–35; un- 1 + promising

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.

Then there was World War II. Given Cooper’s eye injury and poor physique, he made for an unpromising soldier.

From The Wall Street Journal

The port of L.A. has come far from its unpromising beginnings.

From Los Angeles Times

It was an unpromising start, and things only got worse from there.

From BBC

But it’s too striking a shot to dismiss as self-conscious or unpromisingly stern.

From Seattle Times

From this unpromising site have risen stacks of factory-built steel modules punctuated by little green spaces.

From New York Times

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.