How to Use unflattering in a Sentence

unflattering

adjective
  • She was wearing the most unflattering outfit.
  • As for the blurry and unflattering ones, those can go in the trash.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
  • This leads to some droll sights as some people see him in a most unflattering light.
    — Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2021
  • Women’s throats are sore, and their eyes are an unflattering shade of red.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
  • In fact, some scouts had some very unflattering things to say about the younger Sanders.
    — Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025
  • These weren’t stories on some crime show with an unflattering mugshot.
    — Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Sep. 2022
  • Also, my dress hugged my lower abs in a way that could look unflattering.
    — Dana Drori, Harper's BAZAAR, 31 Oct. 2016
  • That was one of the most unflattering looks I’ve ever been forced to wear.
    — Bridget Read, Vogue, 16 Jan. 2019
  • The unflattering portrait of Steve does not ring true for those who loved him.
    — Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2022
  • Just to see her under that wig, and in those unflattering clothes, was too tempting.
    — Evgenia Peretz, HWD, 24 Apr. 2018
  • If there is a sense in that, the portrait is beyond unflattering.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 7 June 2025
  • Your bandmates said some unflattering things about you in the press before that.
    — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
  • White tees can veer unflattering, but this one retains a good structure.
    — Julie Tong, Vogue, 16 July 2024
  • Since the dawn of time, people have claimed that oversized clothes are unflattering.
    — Kleigh Balugo, StyleCaster, 14 June 2024
  • Your actions and your words seem to diverge in unflattering ways.
    — Rob Davis, ProPublica, 13 Aug. 2024
  • But when shopping for a mirror, be careful not to pick an unflattering size.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 9 Oct. 2023
  • The camera under the face is the oldest unflattering look in the books.
    — Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2020
  • But for him and his current program, that bowl matchup would be unflattering for a few reasons.
    — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 25 Nov. 2025
  • He, too, was dogged by a high-profile case that drew unflattering attention to his work.
    — Jacob Gershman, WSJ, 5 June 2022
  • Artist photos on the site are almost always out of date, unflattering, or both.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The very first shot of the film is extremely unflattering for David.
    — Jamie Lang, Variety, 17 May 2024
  • The prompt for this abrupt and rather unflattering end was, inevitably, a social media post.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 19 May 2025
  • Trucks back then were for hauling around bags of clay and plywood for plinths and large unflattering self-portraits done in oil.
    — Car and Driver, 8 June 2021
  • When social media users called the wig unflattering, the insults dug deep.
    — Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The selection committee tends to take an unflattering view of teams that load up on cream puffs.
    — Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2025
  • The camera angle, looking up, shows an unflattering view of his neck.
    — Nicole Russell, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In the wake of the town hall and unflattering profile, Licht apologized to his staff.
    — Vulture, 7 June 2023
  • But a lot of the attention is unflattering, and not just on Twitter.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2021
  • Anderson’s point isn’t to take unflattering portraits, and his style can change up even within the same shoot.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
  • Some of it will be flattering and some of it will be unflattering, but all of it will be entirely human.
    — New York Times, 29 Jan. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unflattering.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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