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
Iran nuclear deal signed After a decade of unsuccessful attempts to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Obama administration undertook a direct diplomatic approach beginning in 2013.
—
Jeffrey Fields, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2026
The house of another, Carlotta Walls, was bombed a month before her graduation, and the police subsequently tortured her father in an unsuccessful attempt to coerce a confession.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 4 Apr. 2026
Republicans who backed the laughable and deservedly unsuccessful 2021 recall of Newsom won’t have a leg to stand on in blasting this as an undemocratic power play.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Iran has been unsuccessful in its search for the missing crew, the Iranian state news agency Tasnim said, adding that local traders in the southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province were offering a reward of 10 billion tomans ($76,000) for anyone who finds the crew alive.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
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Jeffrey Fields, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2026
The house of another, Carlotta Walls, was bombed a month before her graduation, and the police subsequently tortured her father in an unsuccessful attempt to coerce a confession.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 4 Apr. 2026
Republicans who backed the laughable and deservedly unsuccessful 2021 recall of Newsom won’t have a leg to stand on in blasting this as an undemocratic power play.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Iran has been unsuccessful in its search for the missing crew, the Iranian state news agency Tasnim said, adding that local traders in the southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province were offering a reward of 10 billion tomans ($76,000) for anyone who finds the crew alive.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 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 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unsuccessful
adjective
un·suc·cess·ful
ˌən(t)-sək-ˈses-fəl
: not successful : not having or producing success
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