unhappy

1 of 2

adjective

un·​hap·​py ˌən-ˈha-pē 

1

a

: not cheerful or glad : sad, wretched

didn't know why the child was so unhappy

I left the store an unhappy [=dissatisfied] customer.

—often used with with, about, or that

They were unhappy with the way things turned out.

The children were unhappy about going back to school.

I'm unhappy that my best friend is moving.

b

: causing or involving feelings of sadness : not pleasant or joyful

an unhappy marriage/childhood

spent several unhappy hours stuck at the airport

2

: not fortunate : unlucky

an unhappy coincidence

3

a

: causing or subject to misfortune : inauspicious

a particularly unhappy moment for the story to leak

b

: infelicitous, inappropriate

an unhappy choice

unhappiness noun

unhappiness

2 of 2

noun

un·​happiness

"+

: the quality or state of being unhappy : misery, sadness

Synonyms of unhappy

Adjective

• sad
• depressed
• miserable
• heartbroken
• bad
• upset
• sorry
• worried
• melancholy
• disappointed

Examples of unhappy in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

It's being led by downtown business and property owners, who are unhappy with Davis's efforts to restrict high-rises and other development downtown. — Olivia Young, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Smith said the award, which was given Saturday at the organization’s gala, had nothing to do with journalism, attributing the dishonor to board members unhappy with his political opinions. — Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Panettiere recalled learning that Kaya was unhappy about taking an elaborate boat to school while some of her classmates arrived by bus or were dropped off by their parents or nannies. — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026

But others, especially millennial audiences, are unhappy that the reboot features an almost entirely new cast. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English unhappynes, from unhappy + -nes -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unhappy

• chappie
• happy
• nappy
• pappy
• sappy
• scrappy
• snappy

Kids 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

-ˈhap-ə-lē

adverb

unhappiness

-ˈhap-i-nəs

noun