unpromising

[uhn-prom-uh-sing]

adjective

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

unpromising

/ ʌnˈprɒmɪsɪŋ /

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• unpromisingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unpromising¹

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

Example Sentences

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

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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

Read more on BBC

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

Read more on Seattle Times

The talks must now sputter on in that unpromising spirit — toward the brink of an unprecedented federal default, and perhaps beyond.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• apocalyptic 
• dangerous 
• dark 
• dire 
• dismal 
• gloomy 
• grim 
• haunting 
• perilous 
• portentous 
• prophetic 
• sinister 
• threatening