unsatisfactory

adjective

un·​sat·​is·​fac·​to·​ry ˌən-ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-t(ə-)rē 

: not satisfactory

unsatisfactorily

ˌən-ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-t(ə-)rə-lē 

adverb

unsatisfactoriness

ˌən-ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-t(ə-)rē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• bad
• bastard
• bush
• bush-league
• crummy
• crumby
• deficient
• dissatisfactory
• ill
• inferior
• lame
• lousy
• off
• paltry
• poor
• punk
• sour
• suboptimal
• subpar
• substandard
• unacceptable
• wack [slang]
• wanting
• wretched
• wrong

Examples of unsatisfactory in a Sentence

He was fired for unsatisfactory performance.

an unsatisfactory first attempt at building a birdhouse

Recent Examples on the Web

Even after investing significant time and labor, the results were often unsatisfactory, with high rates of error that caused delays in order fulfillment and inefficiencies across their supply chain. —Nia Bowers, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024

In addition, continuing to run software on mature LTS releases is unsatisfactory for the customer. —Alexander Belokrylov, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Getting rid of deadweight and dealing with unsatisfactory situations will lighten your burden and make room for investing more time in yourself and what brings you joy. —Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2024

McAlister seized on this, asking Healey if this meant Boeing's proposal should really be considered unsatisfactory. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1650, in the meaning defined above