unsuccessful
adjective
un·suc·cess·ful
ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl 
: not successful : not meeting with or producing success
Examples of unsuccessful in a Sentence
His last novel was unsuccessful.
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
Recent Examples on the Web
The Miami Herald was unsuccessful in reaching her attorney on Saturday.
—
Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
By the bottom of the eighth, the Red Sox trailed 9-2, had collected just three hits, and were out of challenges after unsuccessful bids by replacement catcher Matt Theiss in the sixth and batter Enddy Azocar in the eighth.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Spearman took a leave of absence as CEO in 2023 to run for Denver mayor and then stepped down ahead of an unsuccessful run for the Denver school board.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Cosme did four months of physical therapy that were unsuccessful before surgeons performed a periacetabular osteotomy on her right hip, breaking her pelvis in four places and inserting four screws.
—Krystle Rich, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
By the bottom of the eighth, the Red Sox trailed 9-2, had collected just three hits, and were out of challenges after unsuccessful bids by replacement catcher Matt Theiss in the sixth and batter Enddy Azocar in the eighth.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Spearman took a leave of absence as CEO in 2023 to run for Denver mayor and then stepped down ahead of an unsuccessful run for the Denver school board.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Cosme did four months of physical therapy that were unsuccessful before surgeons performed a periacetabular osteotomy on her right hip, breaking her pelvis in four places and inserting four screws.
—Krystle Rich, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsuccessful. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unsuccessful
adjective
un·suc·cess·ful
ˌən(t)-sək-ˈses-fəl
: not successful : not having or producing success
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
