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, 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

Synonyms of unhappy

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

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

Democrats, fresh off of stinging losses in the 2024 election up and down the ballot, have rebounded with their voting base and independents unhappy with the status quo. — Stephen Fowler, NPR, 8 Sep. 2026

The bikers were unhappy with the quality of the supply, and Beausoleil was pressured to recover their money. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Use the standard of the person whose name is on the line with an unhappy customer. — Charisma Glassman, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Similar messages came from Everton, who were unhappy about the conduct of both Monaco and Balogun after the forward pulled out of the transfer at the last moment. — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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