unsatisfactory
adj.adj. not good enough to meet a standard or a requirement. You use this to describe something that is disappointing or fails to do what it should.
adj. failing to meet a required standard, expectation, or set of criteria. Often used in formal assessments or professional feedback to indicate that a result is unacceptable.
The student's explanation for being late was unsatisfactory.
After reviewing the initial draft, the manager found the quality of the research unsatisfactory and requested a complete rewrite.
The committee deemed the safety measures unsatisfactory, citing several critical vulnerabilities that had been overlooked during the initial inspection phase.
From un- + satisfactory.
Commonly follows linking verbs such as 'be', 'seem', or 'remain'.
The results were very unsatisfying.The results were very unsatisfactory.Learners often confuse 'unsatisfying' (not giving a feeling of pleasure or fulfillment) with 'unsatisfactory' (not meeting a required standard).