as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
an unhappily married couple being counseled by a professional
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Recent Examples of unhappily
One of the youngest of the MacKenzie brood (and often seen with sister Janet), Jocasta Cameron is sometimes callously honest, perpetually jealous of the attention Ellen gets, and unhappily married to an old man.
—
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
These checks on presidential powers have not only been heeded by the men in power, however unhappily, but have become part of case law.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2025
Some lived unhappily at the club, unable to maximise their talent or contribute to success.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Moscow, Washington, and, however unhappily, Kyiv know that NATO membership is out of Ukraine’s reach.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhappily
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
These checks on presidential powers have not only been heeded by the men in power, however unhappily, but have become part of case law.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2025
Some lived unhappily at the club, unable to maximise their talent or contribute to success.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Moscow, Washington, and, however unhappily, Kyiv know that NATO membership is out of Ukraine’s reach.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhappily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappily
Adverb
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The Thrombeys argue bitterly about politics, money, and immigration.—
Anna Russell,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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The federal government shutdown enters its 21st day – headed toward its fourth week – as Democrats and Republicans remain bitterly divided over how to resolve rising health care costs.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Ambiguity fuels risk, and risk, sadly, often fuels the potential for escalation.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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Rae sadly died in 2018 after being diagnosed with bone cancer.—
Michele Corriston,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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When cases do move forward, justice is often partial and painfully slow, with proceedings stretching on for years and often failing to bring those ultimately responsible to justice.—
Scott Griffen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Even if inflation was falling, prices were still rising – just more slowly, and from painfully high levels.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unhappily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappily. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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