as in futile
producing no results
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of unsuccessful
While his initial efforts proved unsuccessful, in 1988 the newspaper syndication service United Media offered him the chance to fully develop the strip.
—
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
The man has a separate immigration attorney, but the Council’s attempts to reach that lawyer, as well as the man’s family, were unsuccessful, Menin said.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026
And both became focal points in the successive but unsuccessful previous votes on how many and which schools to close.
—Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
The Oceanside City Council declared a local emergency in November in an unsuccessful effort to get an early, unscheduled dredging to clear the channel.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
The man has a separate immigration attorney, but the Council’s attempts to reach that lawyer, as well as the man’s family, were unsuccessful, Menin said.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026
And both became focal points in the successive but unsuccessful previous votes on how many and which schools to close.
—Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
The Oceanside City Council declared a local emergency in November in an unsuccessful effort to get an early, unscheduled dredging to clear the channel.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsuccessful
Adjective
-
Their effort to find a home in Overtown seemed futile until Miami-Dade County Commissioner Keon Hardemon, who grew up in Liberty City, conceived a brilliant idea.—
Dorothy Jenkins Fields,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
But the rally felt less threatening than futile.—
Zach Fisch,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Brown’s statement on Monday was mostly useless corporate-speak.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
This tiny amount of copper acts as a molecular steering wheel, preventing sugar molecules from shattering into useless carbon dioxide.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The social media profiles of some Moran personnel also show they were linked to Wagner, which was effectively liquidated after its then boss Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an abortive revolt in Russia in 2023.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
18 Dec. 2025
-
Even as Nintendo has endlessly mined its classic consoles for nostalgic re-releases in recent decades, the company has seemed to completely ignore the existence of the Virtual Boy—its abortive 1990s dip into the world of early virtual reality.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsuccessful. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
