adj, verb ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   present participle and gerund of unpromise form-of, gerund, participle, present

Adjective

1. 1
   Not promising.

   "The main reason for Mr Bush’s enduring popularity is a health initiative he personally championed with the unpromising acronym of Pepfar."

Adjective

1. 1
   unlikely to bring about favorable results or enjoyment wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

inauspiciousadverseapocalypticbadbalefulbaneful

Example

More examples

"From unpromising beginnings, he went on to become a respected leader."

Etymology

From un- + promising.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.