unsuccessful
adjective
un·suc·cess·ful
ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl 
: not successful : not meeting with or producing success
Examples of unsuccessful in a Sentence
His last novel was unsuccessful.
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
Recent Examples on the Web
The 55-acre lot, once a silent-era movie site and later home to productions like Gilligan’s Island and Seinfeld, will be returned to lenders led by Goldman following months of unsuccessful modification talks.
—
Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Earlier attempts to develop a commercial market for pecans based on growing trees from seeds had been unsuccessful, as trees originating from seeds have a long lag period until maturation and production of nuts.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Efforts to reach principals with the church ownership were unsuccessful, and queries made to its media representative were not answered.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Attempts to contact the owner of the apartment complex and the management company, were unsuccessful.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
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.
Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Earlier attempts to develop a commercial market for pecans based on growing trees from seeds had been unsuccessful, as trees originating from seeds have a long lag period until maturation and production of nuts.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Efforts to reach principals with the church ownership were unsuccessful, and queries made to its media representative were not answered.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Attempts to contact the owner of the apartment complex and the management company, were unsuccessful.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsuccessful. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unsuccessful
adjective
un·suc·cess·ful
ˌən(t)-sək-ˈses-fəl
: not successful : not having or producing success
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
