unhappy

adjective

ˌən-ˈha-pÄ“ How to pronounce unhappy (audio)
Definition of unhappynext
1
as in sad
feeling unhappiness he's been unhappy ever since his family's move, which took him away from all his friends

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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

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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

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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 unhappy Last year, researchers at Harvard University and Baylor University discovered that, on average, young adults aged between 18 to 29 are deeply unhappy. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 July 2026 Licensed cannabis operators in states that have legalized marijuana tend to support the ban—they’re unhappy that hemp intoxicants face far less regulation and taxation than their products. — Peter Su, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 Skov remains unhappy with the county’s offers, and has called for Haubert’s office to place Wilson on administrative leave and for the county to further investigate Haubert and his staff. — Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 6 July 2026 The numbers show that Americans have been unhappy with the direction of the country—though for different reasons—for twenty years. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for unhappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappy
  1. sad
  2. unfortunate
  3. unsuitable
  4. depressed
  5. disastrous
  6. inappropriate
  7. miserable
  8. wrong
Adjective
  • Nostalgic, proud and, yeah, a little sad too, that the decade-long journey of making Stranger Things has come to an end.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
  • In the comments, fans expressed conflicted feelings about the ride’s closure, with some excited for the new version and others sad to hear the original Kumba ride will soon be no more.
    — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • Healthcare has an unfortunate tendency to confuse organizational structure with progress.
    — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
  • This leads to another unfortunate confrontation with a Bowden parent, as Tom drags Cady into the street and beats him up in full view of lookie-loos with phone cameras.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 10 July 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Planting fruit trees in unsuitable spots may not just produce a poor harvest but could spell disaster for the tree.
    — Viveka Neveln, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2026
  • Together, these cues may have signaled that conditions were becoming unsuitable.
    — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of unsuitable
Adjective
  • The numbers are consistent with the depressed transit levels recorded over recent days since negotiations fell apart.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • Like other OEMs, Samsung has boosted prices on its mid-range and budget offerings, which has depressed sales.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026
Definition of depressed
Adjective
  • Hopefully that comes with less disastrous results than Bear’s wish.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • If a presidential administration were to decide that research in a specific area was no longer important for political reasons, that could have disastrous consequences for our nation.
    — Felix V. Matos Rodriguez, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • But does that in itself tell us that Bellingham’s comments were somehow wrong or inappropriate?
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • The archdiocese also continues to investigate former Bishop Miege President Phil Baniewicz, who was ousted last August after allegations surfaced about inappropriate behavior with a minor.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • The story of Superman’s young cousin never achieved liftoff, brought down by miserable reviews and a lack of familiarity with Krypton’s far less famous refugee.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 16 July 2026
  • Spurs evolved from a side who did not press well and could not progress the ball through the middle of the pitch through Frank’s miserable period and Tudor’s hapless interlude, to a side who tried to do exactly those things.
    — Elias Burke, New York Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of miserable
Adjective
  • First, the medals were the wrong colour; this was the ‘Bronze Final’ after all.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • That turned out to be wrong for a meaningful minority of them, whose brains were generating signals our methods were not sensitive enough to pick up.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 July 2026
Definition of wrong

Browse Nearby Words

unhappiness
unhappy
unharmed
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Cite this Entry

“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappy. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of unhappy for Spanish Speakers

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