as in futile
producing no results
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
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Recent Examples of unsuccessful
The Herald’s efforts to reach Landa prior to publication were unsuccessful.
—
Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Lifesaving measures were unsuccessful and the woman was declared dead at the scene.
—David Matthews, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
The city’s unsuccessful Measure E last year also would have raised $400 million annually.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
Doctors spent weeks trying to locate the bullet lodged in Garfield's body, but were unsuccessful.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Lifesaving measures were unsuccessful and the woman was declared dead at the scene.
—David Matthews, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
The city’s unsuccessful Measure E last year also would have raised $400 million annually.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
Doctors spent weeks trying to locate the bullet lodged in Garfield's body, but were unsuccessful.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsuccessful
Adjective
-
But the rally felt less threatening than futile.—
Zach Fisch,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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And this is asking that question, how are these people finding meaning and purpose in their lives that feel so oppressive and futile?—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Brown’s statement on Monday was mostly useless corporate-speak.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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This tiny amount of copper acts as a molecular steering wheel, preventing sugar molecules from shattering into useless carbon dioxide.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The social media profiles of some Moran personnel also show they were linked to Wagner, which was effectively liquidated after its then boss Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an abortive revolt in Russia in 2023.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
18 Dec. 2025
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Even as Nintendo has endlessly mined its classic consoles for nostalgic re-releases in recent decades, the company has seemed to completely ignore the existence of the Virtual Boy—its abortive 1990s dip into the world of early virtual reality.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsuccessful. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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