as in wrong
falling short of a standard this work is entirely unacceptable

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unacceptable Such outages at a minor airport, much less a major one, are patently unacceptable. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025 On the right, meanwhile, the SALT deduction widely is seen as a disincentive for state and local governments to reduce that tax burden on their own and thus represents an unacceptable federal subsidy for blue states and cities unwilling to rein in their own spending. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025 The Kremlin deemed such a display unacceptable in wartime and began asserting its right to intrude into private life—something even the late Soviet Union, from the 1960s onward, generally avoided. Andrei Yakovlev, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025 All these attacks are unacceptable, and this isn't just an American problem. Mandalit Del Barco, NPR, 13 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for unacceptable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unacceptable
Adjective
  • But even putting O’Brien on notice would be an attempt to intimidate and silence a critic, which is plainly wrong.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2025
  • There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it Matt Sekerke is a managing director at SEDA Experts and senior macro advisor at Hiddenite Capital Partners.
    Matt Sekerke, Fortune, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • The product was released in 2023 to a poor reception, and discontinued before the company began winding down operations in February.
    Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 24 May 2025
  • The original doesn’t go that deeply into it, but this poor girl was essentially forced to be a teen mom at this time in her life when all of her friends would be graduating high school and dating and thinking about their futures.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • If Americans were working longer to stave off poverty, then a rising retirement age would be a bad thing, said Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 23 May 2025
  • Things started even worse for Minnesota in the middle frame, as their offense still sputtered and the Frost’s second power play of the game was a disaster, with the Charge controlling the play and testing Rooney repeatedly throughout the two minutes.
    Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • He's been deficient as a one-on-one defender; inconsistent as a bench scorer.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 May 2025
  • Every leader has the opportunity to assess their strength of character relative to the 11 dimensions and to understand whether what could be a virtue manifests as a deficient (underdeveloped) or an excess (unsupported) vice, which could compromise judgment and well-being.
    Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • There’s no doubt that Lewis, abandoned as a baby by his parents, has done some horrible stuff.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2025
  • What happened to Simone as a child is horrible, and in her brain, she is therefore absolved of having anything to do with her father.
    Lauren Coates, Variety, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • Over the 18 games following a 21-run eruption against the historically awful Colorado Rockies, the Padres ranked last in the majors in OPS and third-to-last in runs per game.
    Dennis Lin, New York Times, 2 June 2025
  • The timing isn’t awful for SDFC, which doesn’t play its next league game until June 14 and expected Lozano to be absent possibly into early July on national-team duty.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • Djokovic knew he’d be seeded to play one of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz in the quarters, and in the end landed Zverev, which isn’t a terrible outcome, but would leave him with a possible Sinner-Alcaraz double bill in the semifinals and final to lift the trophy.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • One night the fish was very overcooked and covered with a terrible sauce.
    Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 22 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Unacceptable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unacceptable. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

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