unpropitious

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 unpropitious Handing the baton to Harris at this unpropitious time for Democrats is like Napoleon’s handing off his military command to Marshal Ney to conduct the disastrous French retreat from Moscow in 1812, featuring 500,000 French casualties. Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024 Here are a handful of quick Thesaurus pulls to help paint a picture of how the unit played: unpropitious, cataclysmic, demoralizing, execrable. Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2023 The exhausted refugees are greeted by a functionary of the Relief Committee with the unpropitious nickname Statistics Babu. Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 26 Dec. 2022 That will be an unpropitious setting for launching a network: if the teams are unclear on the goal, the risk of confusion is considerable. Steve Denning, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2021 JoyFish sits in a strip mall in an unpropitious space that has seen several restaurants come and go. Tan Vinh, The Seattle Times, 11 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpropitious
Adjective
  • But at a time when student-athletes’ rights prevail and provide the freedom to change schools and cash in, coaches aim to regain control and curtail roster movement — even at the expense of a player in an unfavorable situation.
    Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 May 2025
  • The reality is that an underdeveloped supply chain and unfavorable economics are far larger factors.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Australian gold The small town in Australia that’s spreading the story of Vegemite 04:50 Vegemite, an Australian delicacy with the unpromising base material of leftover brewers’ yeast, is so loved in the country there’s even a museum dedicated to it.
    Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Yet despite the minimal funding and unpromising history, the search continues to garner both adherents and interest.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 15 Aug. 2012
Adjective
  • All seemed hopeless for Moore and Mansell, until, out of the blue, a lawyer with the Office of the White House Counsel contacted Moore’s defense lawyers, Seitles and Litwin-Diego, in April to inquire about the case.
    Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
  • The longtime psych-rock staple co-wrote the album with filmmaker Matt Yoka to be a collection of American stories about hopeless kleptomaniacs, urban explorers, and other people who slip through the cracks.
    Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • For three days, things were cheerless for Courtney Williams.
    Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 28 May 2025
  • Gomez gestured across the street toward 100 Centre Street—the criminal courthouse, a cheerless Art Deco building the color of cinder blocks.
    Sarah Lustbader, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • By focusing on how people work together rather than just the technology, any company can turn the dismal statistics of AI project failure into a story of consistent innovation that delivers real business value.
    Manikandarajan Shanmugavel, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
  • The 21-year-old’s performances were one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dismal season for Las Palmas.
    Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • After the Panthers lost Game 1 in overtime, Glassman says the mood was gloomy the next morning at the pickleball courts at George English Park.
    Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 7 June 2025
  • Ukrainians in Kyiv welcomed the strikes on Russian air bases but were gloomy about prospects for a peace agreement.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • There’s also the morbid curiosity about Brian’s death.
    Tyler Hicks, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025
  • In 1900, the average life expectancy of a 1-year-old in the U.S. was about 56 years; that bespeaks a morbid population of infants.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • Few things are more dreary than a one-person show that insists on being miserable.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 June 2025
  • On Sunday evening, Broadway’s finest, including George Clooney, Mia Farrow, Lea Michele and Tonys host Cynthia Erivo, gathered outside of Radio City Music Hall under a covered red carpet, avoiding the dreary New York City weather.
    Emily Burns, Footwear News, 9 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Unpropitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpropitious. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.

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