1
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
he's been unhappy ever since his family's move, which took him away from all his friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
she's trying to forget that whole unhappy attempt to start a business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unsuitable
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
a guest unintentionally made unhappy reference to what is a painful situation for the family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unhappy
There is one player from a trio season that was decidedly unhappy to see a fellow player joining her back in Fiji.
—
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Thirteen years after her speech, Foster feels as though her warning to the audience that privacy was vanishing has come true, and is unhappy about it.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
While most in the crowd cheered Barger, at least one person was unhappy with her work.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026
As with Sátántangó, Tarr devised exquisite tracking shots that seemed to float through János’ unhappy universe, delivering one knockout image after another.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unhappy
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Thirteen years after her speech, Foster feels as though her warning to the audience that privacy was vanishing has come true, and is unhappy about it.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
While most in the crowd cheered Barger, at least one person was unhappy with her work.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026
As with Sátántangó, Tarr devised exquisite tracking shots that seemed to float through János’ unhappy universe, delivering one knockout image after another.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unhappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappy
Adjective
-
Everyone's a little sad in The Holdovers, Alexander Payne's charmingly sour comedy about a student stuck at his New England boarding school over the holidays with only his grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the school cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) for company.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The 25-year-old wide receiver is sad to see his teammates go, but trusts the vision of the New York front office.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Their late concession of the winning penalty to Morgan Gibbs-White, above, was unfortunate.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Many unfortunate events were blamed on poison—the unexpected death of an enslaver or a slave, a spate of local deaths due to a virus or other disease, or problems on the plantation such as ill livestock or bad harvests.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Soils that are high in peat moss are unsuitable for citrus trees.—
Derek Carwood,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Jan. 2026
-
These tests, though frequently used in Denmark as part of child protection investigations, were criticized as inappropriate and unsuitable for the people of Greenland and other minorities.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Countries such as the Netherlands and Canada that passed similar bills have gone on to expand this type of legislation to allow doctors to give lethal medication to the depressed and other people with mental illnesses.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Yes, our political leaders have given some of us reason to be resentful, cynical and even depressed.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The spotlight increased after a disastrous interview with CBS to promote the legendary coach’s book.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Second goal breaks Charlotte’s back The second half opened with a disastrous sequence for Charlotte.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The class counsel has argued that objectors are raising either points that were already decided, inappropriate for this forum, or unreasonable to address.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
But some former students recently accused Gabbard, whose name is on the high school gym floor, of inappropriate conduct.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
On a tour full of reasons to be miserable, England will leave Australia with at least one ray of light for the future.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The series centers around Timmy Turner, a miserable 10-year-old whose life improves significantly after he is given two fairy godparents named Wanda and Cosmo.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As analysis, that’s not wrong, but where’s the sting of it inside this bizarre bonbon of a musical?—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Despite his brilliance and intellect, he was prevented from having a full life by being born on the wrong side of Israel’s separation fence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappy. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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