Skip to main content
unsatisfying

unsatisfying

12 3.7
Less good than you expected and leaving you disappointed
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌnˈsætɪsfaɪɪŋ/
translation icon : insatisfactorio
  • However dull and unsatisfying, the absence of catastrophe was a considerable achievement.
  • unsatisfying answer
  • unsatisfying situation
  • unsatisfying relationship

So it's an unsatisfying book in in many respects.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • So it's an unsatisfying book in in many respects.

  • So although this answer is a little bit unsatisfying, at least it is the truth.

  • This is the most unsatisfying tie in history.

  • My home life... is unsatisfying.

  • After World War II, that world became increasingly unsatisfying to the subsequent generation.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Many observers find this line of thinking to be unsatisfying.

    Academic text (2014)
  • It's very unsatisfying if they get away with something and don't have to pay an appropriate price for what they did.

  • I also saw how tortured she was and felt sad that she was in an unsatisfying, exploitative relationship.

    Academic text (2007)
  • When we finally talked, I found her responses cryptic and unsatisfying.

    Academic text (2010)
  • The ending of the movie was so unsatisfying that many viewers left the theater disappointed.

Synonyms

disappointing
vsunsatisfying
190 1.4

Not as good as you expected or hoped

is about overall lack of satisfaction rather than single hopes
unsatisfactory
vsunsatisfying
17 3.9

Not good enough to be acceptable

emphasizes missing personal satisfaction rather than official criteria
underwhelming
vsunsatisfying
12 4.4

Less impressive or exciting than you expect

describes lack of satisfaction more generally, not only impressiveness
unfulfilling
vsunsatisfying
3 5.5

Something that does not make you feel satisfied or successful

is broader, describing lack of satisfaction in many situations
unrewarding
vsunsatisfying
1 4.8

Does not make you feel satisfied or successful

covers lack of satisfaction more generally, not only reward
dissatisfactory
vsunsatisfying
6.5

Not as good as expected or needed

focuses on lacking satisfaction rather than formal standards
ungratifying
vsunsatisfying
7.7

Not giving pleasure or reward

is the general term for not producing satisfaction or enjoyment

Antonyms

1 2.2

A pleasant feeling of being happy when a need or wish is met

How Satisfying

gratifying
41 3.7
satisfying
1 2.2
mediocre
109 4.8
unsatisfying
12 3.7
disappointing
190 1.4

Surface Forms

unsatisfying positive
unsatisfying-er comparative
unsatisfying-est superlative

Morphology

unsatisfying = satisfying (transparent) = un + satisfy + ing

Formed by productive negation 'un-' added to the adjective 'satisfying', yielding the opposite meaning.

Etymology

The word unsatisfying is made from the prefix un- 'not' and satisfy, which comes from the Latin root satis 'enough'. So unsatisfying describes something that does not give you 'enough' pleasure or meet your expectations.