unsuccessful

adjective

un·​suc·​cess·​ful ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl 

: not successful : not meeting with or producing success

unsuccessfully

ˌən-sək-ˈses-fə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of unsuccessful

• futile
• useless
• abortive

Examples of unsuccessful in a Sentence

His last novel was unsuccessful.

an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike the Brookside miners, whose strike was a relative success, the Hormel workers, who pursued their fight against management without the support of their parent union, were unsuccessful. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026

However, the unsuccessful pursuits of Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez, sagas that ended with both players staying at their Madrid clubs, Real and Atletico respectively, perhaps made acknowledgement of a couple of things. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Attempts to reach Gonzalez, as well as several other members of Ortiz’s immediate family, for further comment were unsuccessful. — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026

That same day, his running mate, Aaron Del Mar, a member of the governing Republican State Central Committee, made an unsuccessful closed-door pitch for $150,000 from the state GOP for get-out-the-vote efforts on behalf of the statewide ticket. — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing unsuccessful

• make an unsuccessful run for

Rhymes for unsuccessful

• distressful
• successful
• stressful

Kids Definition

unsuccessful

adjective

un·​suc·​cess·​ful ˌən(t)-sək-ˈses-fəl 

: not successful : not having or producing success

unsuccessfully

-fə-lē 

adverb