unhappy
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, orthatThey 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
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
Noem pushed back, insisting her department is enforcing the law as written and that those unhappy with recent deportations should direct their anger at Congress, not the Department of Homeland Security.
—
Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
There were earlier rumblings that Jefferson might be unhappy with his situation at Minnesota, which has seen a team that was winning last season become the NFC North's bottom-dweller.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
For starters, Syrians are broadly unhappy with the state of the economy and with public services.
—Salma Al-Shami, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
And folks who attended the affair seemed unhappy with the long evening, although Ryan enjoyed hobnobbing.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhappy
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Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
There were earlier rumblings that Jefferson might be unhappy with his situation at Minnesota, which has seen a team that was winning last season become the NFC North's bottom-dweller.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
For starters, Syrians are broadly unhappy with the state of the economy and with public services.
—Salma Al-Shami, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
And folks who attended the affair seemed unhappy with the long evening, although Ryan enjoyed hobnobbing.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhappy
Cite this Entry
“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappy. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.
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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