unpromisingly
6.6
In a way that makes success seem unlikely
- adverb
- /ʌnˈprɑːmɪsɪŋli/
:
de manera poco prometedora
- The road ahead looked unpromisingly bleak.
Examples
-
Despite their efforts, the project progressed unpromisingly, with many setbacks along the way.
-
Her first attempt at baking the cake went unpromisingly, with the batter not rising at all.
-
His game of telephone tag with Central State went on for a couple more hours, unpromisingly.
Fiction book (1990) -
The weather forecast looks unpromisingly rainy for the weekend.
Antonyms
How Promising
Surface Forms
Morphology
unpromisingly = unpromising (transparent) = un + promise + ing + ly
Formed from 'unpromising' + '-ly'; the adverbial meaning is a direct and regular derivation.
Etymology
Unpromisingly comes from the parts un- meaning 'not', promise meaning 'a sign of good things to come', and the ending -ly meaning 'in a way', so it means doing something 'in a way that does not give hope'.