Meaning & use
unpleasant
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Causing discomfort or dislike, so that you do not enjoy it.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: an unpleasant smell.
Patterns
- unpleasant for someone
- unpleasant to something
The paint gave off an unpleasant smell.
It was an unpleasant surprise to find the door open.
Waiting in the cold was unpleasant for everyone.
adjectivecomparable
Unfriendly or rude toward other people.
Grammar: Describes a person's manner: an unpleasant neighbor.
Patterns
- unpleasant to someone
- unpleasant about something
The clerk was unpleasant to every customer.
He became unpleasant when he lost the game.
She has been rather unpleasant about the whole thing.
Word forms
| comparative | more unpleasant |
|---|---|
| superlative | most unpleasant |
Common combinations
- unpleasant experience
- The flight was an unpleasant experience.
- unpleasant smell
- An unpleasant smell came from the fridge.
- unpleasant surprise
- The bill was an unpleasant surprise.
- unpleasant task
- Cleaning the drain is an unpleasant task.
- deeply unpleasant
- The argument was deeply unpleasant.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disagreeable
- Disagreeable is more formal and often describes people or weather, while unpleasant is more general.
- nasty
- Nasty is stronger and more informal, suggesting something actively bad or unkind.
- horrible
- Horrible is a much stronger word, whereas unpleasant is mild.
- distasteful
- Distasteful suggests moral dislike more than discomfort.
Opposites
Word family
- unpleasantly adverb
- in a way that causes dislike
- unpleasantness noun
- bad feeling or an upsetting event
- pleasant adjective
- enjoyable or friendly
- please verb
- to make someone happy
Commonly confused: unpleasant or displeasing?
unpleasant vs displeasing
Displeasing is rarer and more formal; unpleasant is the everyday word.
Practice
The meeting turned ______ when the two managers began shouting at each other.
Choose one answer.
After turned, an adjective is needed, and unpleasant fits. Unpleasantly is an adverb and unpleasantness is a noun, and pleasant means the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unpleasant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.