UNSUCCESSFUL Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

unsuccessful

adjective

ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl

Definition of unsuccessful

as in futile

producing no results an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves

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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 Jones also picked off a pass in Wednesday’s practice, which, despite the Patriots’ run-game issues, ended with consecutive unsuccessful two-minute drills for Philadelphia. — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 Efforts to reach the current owner of Lettuce were unsuccessful Thursday. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026 As mentioned, NordSpace’s first suborbital attempt was unsuccessful. — IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2026 Attempts to reach Roller’s attorney were unsuccessful, and the Lee County School District did not respond to requests for comment. — Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsuccessful

Adjective

The receiving corps is still a question mark, and depending solely on De’Von Achane seems futile.

— Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Named Wilbur by the hive mind of social media, the animal blew up online after resident Jamaal Harrison posted a video to TikTok on Saturday showing his futile attempts to catch it on an e-bike.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of futile

Adjective

Garcia and Vargas Bustamante both agreed that not all of the health advice available on social media is useless, predatory or incorrect.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
If an agent queries a legacy database to decide whether to trigger an outreach sequence or prioritize an account, a flat list of static attributes is fundamentally useless to its reasoning engine.

— Filip Popovic, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of useless

Adjective

Primus could easily have been a blip, one of many abortive major label risks in a decade when the industry was swimming in cash.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
As children, Vi and Jinx lose their parents in an abortive revolution in Zaun, and years later find themselves on opposite sides of an unfolding power struggle between the two city-states.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 22 May 2026

Definition of abortive

Browse Nearby Words

unsubtle

unsuccessful

unsuitability

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“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsuccessful. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of unsuccessful

adjective

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