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
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.
The root of the fallout was the Who (and specifically Daltrey) being unhappy with Starkey’s performance when the band played a pair of Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025 On Friday, Devers alluded to being unhappy with how the Red Sox treated him. Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 20 June 2025 The Reuters/Ipsos survey also found 49 percent of Democrats were unhappy with current leaders while 41 percent backed the party; 10 percent of those surveyed were unsure or did not provide a response. Tara Suter, The Hill, 19 June 2025 Adding to the additional possible tax burden, the U.S. limited partner abroad will be unhappy to learn that self-employment income subject to SECA tax is not reduced by the foreign earned income exclusion. Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for unhappy

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

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Cite this Entry

“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappy. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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