unhappy

adjective

un·​hap·​py ˌən-ˈha-pē How to pronounce unhappy (audio)
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy coincidence
2
: not cheerful or glad : sad, wretched
3
a
: causing or subject to misfortune : inauspicious
b
: infelicitous, inappropriate
an unhappy choice
unhappiness noun

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 And seven in 10 are unhappy with the way things are going in the country. Jennifer De Pinto, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024 Some Republicans were unhappy with that $1.7 trillion total and hoped to attach policy provisions to the legislation as a consolation for not cutting spending more. Marianna Sotomayor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 At least one of those tribes is unhappy with what the states proposed and plans to submit its own plan. Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 Rarely have so many Americans been so unhappy with the direction of the country for so long. Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Musk of course was very unhappy with the lawyers’ request, which was submitted to a Delaware judge on Friday. Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 If the political rifts grow and Gantz quits the government, the floodgates will open to broader protests by a public that was already unhappy with the government when Hamas struck, said Reuven Hazan, a professor of political science at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 4 Mar. 2024 Can people take intelligent risks without being skewered if someone is unhappy with the results? Dr. Joel M. Rothaizer, McC, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 And all of them — not just Braziel — are unhappy with the choice likely awaiting them in November. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024

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.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhappy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near unhappy

Cite this Entry

“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unhappy

adjective
un·​hap·​py ˌən-ˈhap-ē How to pronounce unhappy (audio)
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy mistake
2
: not cheerful : sad
3
: inappropriate
an unhappy color combination
unhappily
-ˈhap-ə-lē
adverb
unhappiness
-ˈhap-i-nəs
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on unhappy

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