as in futile
producing no results
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
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Recent Examples of unsuccessful
While Meta’s advertising business and engagement time on its social media platforms have benefited from leveraging AI, the company’s attempts thus far at developing a popular model have been unsuccessful.
—
Jeff Marks, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
In 1998, Democratic multimillionaire Al Checchi who had been the co-chair of Northwest Airlines spent $40 million of his wealth on an unsuccessful run for governor, also a record at the time.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Sheridan Educators Association representatives met with district officials and a mediator on Saturday in an effort to resume contract negotiations, which proved unsuccessful in ending the strike.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
Authorities attempted to stop the suspect using a grappler device, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Jeff Marks, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
In 1998, Democratic multimillionaire Al Checchi who had been the co-chair of Northwest Airlines spent $40 million of his wealth on an unsuccessful run for governor, also a record at the time.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Sheridan Educators Association representatives met with district officials and a mediator on Saturday in an effort to resume contract negotiations, which proved unsuccessful in ending the strike.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
Authorities attempted to stop the suspect using a grappler device, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsuccessful
Adjective
-
Tackling plant problems at the wrong time in a plant’s or insect’s life cycle can be futile and environmentally harmful.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
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Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.—
Dale Robertson,
Houston Chronicle,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Instead of being an anchoring penultimate episode, the entire display felt useless and confusing, as if the audience was suddenly watching an entirely different television program.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2026
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In my tests, the feature was almost completely useless.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Google’s Tripartite Advantage Google has been more successful than Meta in fintech due to a strategic focus on utility, infrastructure, and user trust, whereas Mark Zuckerberg’s firm has struggled with trust issues and regulatory hurdles, particularly with the abortive Diem project.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
1 Feb. 2026
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In October, the Miami Herald reported on abortive negotiations — also involving Qatar — in which Rodríguez proposed leading a transitional government if Maduro agreed to step aside and retire to a prearranged safe haven.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsuccessful. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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