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 The next day, a very unhappy Joseph Murray called Frances again. Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2024 Some of the women who told the BBC about their experiences with Al Fayed were unhappy with his portrayal in the Netflix series. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024 According to reports, tensions between the band had been simmering for some time during the tour, with Navarro frustrated by Farrell’s long-winded bantering with the crowd and Farrell unhappy with the onstage sound while battling tinnitus and a sore throat. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2024 Of course, there are plenty of reasons students may be unhappy in college that are unrelated to their campus of choice. Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 7 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unhappy 

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 7 Oct. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!