as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
with time the young woman got over the unhappiness caused by the breakup
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Recent Examples of unhappiness
The antidotes to young men’s unhappiness are natural opportunities for in-person connection.
—
Anthony V. MacK, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Inevitably, Big Ant soon comes crashing back down to Earth and the swirl of anger and sorrow that await him there; inevitably, Lil Ant and Lozita are forced to face his unhappiness, and figure out how to react.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Polling at the end of his first year back in the White House showed a strong majority of independents believing the country was worse off, with the economy driving the unhappiness.
—Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
But apartheid brought immense unhappiness and misery to white South Africans, too.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Everyone’s unhappiness was so depressing, their eternal discontent!
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
As 2025 ends, there’s still a lot of anger about what was revealed in the lawsuit, and some fans may very well carry that unhappiness with them until there are leadership changes at the executive level.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Early trust-building efforts were hindered by our poor diplomatic handling of AUKUS, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, and your unhappiness with the Inflation Reduction Act.
—Amanda Sloat, Time, 2 Jan. 2026
And as most CHROs can attest, the things that spike employee unhappiness are often caused by uncertainty, fear, and lack of control.
—Susan Caminiti, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
Anthony V. MacK, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Inevitably, Big Ant soon comes crashing back down to Earth and the swirl of anger and sorrow that await him there; inevitably, Lil Ant and Lozita are forced to face his unhappiness, and figure out how to react.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Polling at the end of his first year back in the White House showed a strong majority of independents believing the country was worse off, with the economy driving the unhappiness.
—Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
But apartheid brought immense unhappiness and misery to white South Africans, too.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Everyone’s unhappiness was so depressing, their eternal discontent!
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
As 2025 ends, there’s still a lot of anger about what was revealed in the lawsuit, and some fans may very well carry that unhappiness with them until there are leadership changes at the executive level.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Early trust-building efforts were hindered by our poor diplomatic handling of AUKUS, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, and your unhappiness with the Inflation Reduction Act.
—Amanda Sloat, Time, 2 Jan. 2026
And as most CHROs can attest, the things that spike employee unhappiness are often caused by uncertainty, fear, and lack of control.
—Susan Caminiti, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappiness
Noun
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Rosalía joined in September, writing about the purpose of her art but also the sadness around her birthday.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Feb. 2026
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The manipulations also affected how much sadness and anger participants reported feeling while scrolling.—
Simon Makin,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Next, using a statistical tool known as a Cox regression model, the researchers equalized the participants based on factors such as age, smoking status, BMI, physical activity, alcohol intake, depression, family history of dementia, medication use and more.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Feb. 2026
-
His relationship with Serena developed during his wife’s battle with depression.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Fanning’s name was the first called when nominations were announced, signaling that Scandinavian melancholy would be notably absent that morning.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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But Wednesday’s report about the parking fees quickly backfiring should turn this melancholy into fury.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unhappiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappiness. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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