unhappy
adjective
un·hap·py
ˌən-ˈha-pē 
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy coincidence
3
a
: causing or subject to misfortune : inauspicious
b
: infelicitous, inappropriate
an unhappy choice
unhappiness
noun
Synonyms
- bad
- blue
- brokenhearted
- cast down
- crestfallen
- dejected
- depressed
- despondent
- disconsolate
- doleful
- down
- down in the mouth
- downcast
- downhearted
- droopy
- forlorn
- gloomy
- glum
- hangdog
- heartbroken
- heartsick
- heartsore
- heavyhearted
- inconsolable
- joyless
- low
- low-spirited
- melancholic
- melancholy
- miserable
- mournful
- sad
- saddened
- sorrowful
- sorry
- woebegone
- woeful
- wretched
Examples of unhappy in a Sentence
I can see that he's unhappy, but I don't know why.
I've never seen her looking so unhappy.
For three unhappy days we were all stuck in the house because of the blizzard.
an unhappy choice of career
The movie's hero meets an unhappy fate.
Recent Examples on the Web
Some employees at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which houses the Safety Institute, were reportedly unhappy with the appointment, but Raimondo sees value in the disagreement.
—
Will Henshall, TIME, 6 June 2024
Gellhorn, too, was unhappy with her husband’s abuse, alcoholism and infidelity.
—David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024
Leaders of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties are unhappy with SB 1031, and the bill has stalled in the Legislature for now.
—David Schonbrunn, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
Clearly a good number of Monday’s crowd remains unhappy with the team’s former manager departing for a division rival.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for unhappy 
Will Henshall, TIME, 6 June 2024
Gellhorn, too, was unhappy with her husband’s abuse, alcoholism and infidelity.
—David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024
Leaders of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties are unhappy with SB 1031, and the bill has stalled in the Legislature for now.
—David Schonbrunn, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
Clearly a good number of Monday’s crowd remains unhappy with the team’s former manager departing for a division rival.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for unhappy
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unhappy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near unhappy
Cite this Entry
“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappy. Accessed 15 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unhappy
adjective
un·hap·py
ˌən-ˈhap-ē
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy mistake
2
: not cheerful : sad
3
: inappropriate
an unhappy color combination
unhappily
adverb
-ˈhap-ə-lē
unhappiness
noun
-ˈhap-i-nəs
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