unsatisfactoryadj.
/ˌʌnsatᵻsˈfakt(ə)ri/, U.S. /ˌənˌsædəsˈfæktəri/ (un- prefix1 1.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > disappointment > [adjective]
disappointing1530
unsatisfactory1637
unsatisfying1656
uncontenting1698
bilking1732
anticlimactic1898
the world > relative properties > quantity > insufficiency > [adjective] > for the needs of the case or inadequate
unegual1542
unequal1582
unegall1589
unparegal1605
unsatisfactory1637
unadequate1644
inadequate1675
under-proportioned1689
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > improbability, unlikeliness > [adjective] > unconvincing
unplausible1637
unsatisfactory1637
unpersuasive1651
unsatisfying1656
unconvincing1659
implausiblea1677
dowf1786
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > uneasy or restless desire > [adjective] > unsatisfied > unsatisfying
unsatisfactory1637
the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > discontent or dissatisfaction > [adjective] > causing discontent or unsatisfactory
unacceptable1483
discontentive1578
inacceptable1578
discontenting1579
discontentful1604
dissatisfactoryc1610
undigestable1612
ungratifying1695
dissatisfying1709
unsatisfactory1843
crook1898
zilch1958
1637–50 J. Row Hist. Kirk Scotl. (Wodrow Soc.) 65 This ansuer wes judged..unsatisfactorie.
1652 E. Benlowes Theophila sig. A3v All external Splendors being unsatisfactory.
1714 R. Fiddes Pract. Disc. (ed. 2) II. 212 The very enjoyments of life..are..in themselves unsatisfactory.
1777 J. Richardson Diss. Eastern Nations 9 [It] opens a wide field for unsatisfactory enquiry.
1818 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 33 692 To assert without stating particulars, would be unsatisfactory.
1843 A. Bethune Sc. Peasant's Fire-side 88 As his visit proved unsatisfactory, he determined to make his stay short.
1890 Retrospect Med. 102 17 The treatment of this dangerous complication is most unsatisfactory.
Draft additions 1993
b. Law. Of a verdict, conviction, etc. : not unequivocally satisfying the law, and so giving rise to the possibility of a miscarriage of justice. More or less synonymous with unsafe adj. Additions 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > judging > [adjective] > wrong or mistaken
false1656
unsafe1904
unsatisfactory1907
1907 Papers rel. Case G. Edalji 6 in Parl. Papers (Cd. 3503) LXVII. 403 In our opinion, the conviction was unsatisfactory, and..we cannot agree with the verdict of the jury.
1965 Rep. Interdepartmental Comm. Court of Criminal Appeal iii. 33 in Parl. Papers 1964–5 (Cmnd. 2755) XIII. 1 In spite of this rejection of the words ‘unsafe or unsatisfactory’, the Court has sometimes acted..as though..entitled to quash a verdict which it considered to be unsafe or unsatisfactory, in spite of there being some evidence to support it.
1989 Times 28 Nov. 36/5 That led to the uneasy conclusion that the conviction was unsafe and unsatisfactory.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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adj.1637