poorly satisfactory

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "poorly satisfactory" is not standard in written English and may be considered contradictory.
It could be used to describe something that is not satisfactory at all, yet still meets some minimal expectations, though it is better to use clearer language. Example: "The service at the restaurant was poorly satisfactory, leaving much to be desired."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Critical Care

BMC Systems Biology

The New Yorker

The New York Times

Encyclopedia Britannica

Wikipedia

Applied Water Science

BMC Cancer

BioMed Research International

BMC Medical Education

Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society

TechCrunch

BMC Genomics

Applied Ocean Research

The Guardian - Business

The Guardian - Opinion

The Guardian - Books

The Guardian - Film

The Guardian - Sport

The Economist - Business

The Economist

The New Yorker - Arts

The New Yorker - Sports

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Intensivists frequently rely on electrocardiography (ECG) evidence of myocardial ischemia, but continuous 2- or 12-lead ECG routine screening remains poorly satisfactory because of a low sensitivity and lack of specificity compared with non-ICU patients [ 3, 4].

Critical Care

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

[1-C] and [6-C]glucose poorlymed poorly, while [U-C]glucose was satisfactory.

BMC Systems Biology

Being France's president today is a delicate, difficult job that lasts 7 years, demands political wisdom, apolitical sentiments, and intelligent devotion to the country at large, offers no satisfactory power and pays poorly.

The New Yorker

All but 7 of the 46 agencies received scores the city considers satisfactory or better, and none performed poorly enough to warrant being shut down, city officials said.

The New York Times

Tiling and surface ditching help decrease water accumulation in poorly drained subsoils and reduce wet spots in otherwise satisfactory sites.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Neither category is satisfactory on its own; social cognition theories poorly address autism's rigid and repetitive behaviors, while the nonsocial theories have difficulty explaining social impairment and communication difficulties.

Wikipedia

On the other hand, in poorly drained area but having good quality water may fail to produce satisfactory yield (Todd 1980).

Applied Water Science

However, current chemotherapeutic drugs for HCC are either poorly effective or expensive, and treatment with these drugs has not led to satisfactory outcomes.

BMC Cancer

The reliability of mortality data in the Midwest region of Brazil is satisfactory, since only an average of 4% of cases had a poorly defined cause of death from 2009 to 2011 [ 2].

BioMed Research International

We concluded from this that: 1) no factor model could explain enough of the variance to be a satisfactory fit, and 2) especially the reversed items seemed to function poorly in the instrument.

BMC Medical Education

Despite the satisfactory values of specificity and sensitivity at the nucleotide level, Exon_Finder2 performs poorly at the exon level.

Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "poorly satisfactory" in formal writing. Opt for clearer and more accepted alternatives like "unsatisfactory" or "barely adequate".

Common error

Using "poorly satisfactory" can be seen as redundant, since 'satisfactory' implies a certain level of acceptability. Instead of combining these terms, choose the most appropriate adjective to accurately convey the level of quality, such as "inadequate" or "scarcely satisfactory".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "poorly satisfactory" functions as a modifier, attempting to describe the degree to which something meets expectations. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, it's a non-standard construction and considered grammatically questionable.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "poorly satisfactory" might seem intuitive, it's not a standard or grammatically recommended construction. Ludwig AI indicates that it's a non-standard construction. It attempts to convey a low level of satisfaction but is better replaced by clearer alternatives like ""unsatisfactory"", ""barely adequate"", or "less than satisfactory". In formal writing, avoiding this phrase will enhance clarity and professionalism. Although it may appear across a variety of sources, including news and scientific publications, its usage is infrequent and should be approached with caution.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unsatisfactory

A direct and common synonym for not satisfactory.

barely adequate

Suggests something meets the minimum requirements but is not good.

scarcely satisfactory

Emphasizes the lack of satisfaction, being only slightly satisfactory.

hardly satisfactory

Similar to 'scarcely satisfactory', highlighting the deficiency.

marginally satisfactory

Indicates something is only satisfactory to a small degree.

somewhat unsatisfactory

Directly states that something is not completely satisfactory.

less than satisfactory

A more common and acceptable way to say something doesn't meet expectations.

subpar

A concise way to describe something below the expected standard.

deficient

Focuses on the lack of essential qualities or elements.

inadequate

Emphasizes that something is not sufficient for the purpose.

FAQs

Is "poorly satisfactory" grammatically correct?

While understandable, "poorly satisfactory" is not considered grammatically standard. It's better to use clearer terms like "unsatisfactory" or "barely adequate".

What are some alternatives to "poorly satisfactory"?

Alternatives include "unsatisfactory", "barely acceptable", "marginally satisfactory", or simply stating the specific problem.

When is it acceptable to use "poorly satisfactory"?

While not recommended for formal writing, "poorly satisfactory" might be used informally to express a very low level of satisfaction, but it's generally better to be more precise. Consider using "unsatisfactory".

What does "poorly satisfactory" mean?

It means something is not satisfactory, but still meets some minimal expectations, though it's a non-standard way to express this. You could say something is "barely adequate" instead.