as in futile
producing no results
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsuccessful
But previous buyout attempts from budget rivals like JetBlue and Frontier were unsuccessful both before and during Spirit's first bankruptcy.
—
CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The imaging center, after winning the collection case against Millman, tried to garnish his wages, though that was unsuccessful because Millman had lost his IT job.
—Noam N. Levey, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
Warner, now 71, served as chairman of the Virginia Democratic Party from 1993 to 1995, before an unsuccessful run for Senate in 1996.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Chavez was a military officer who attempted an unsuccessful coup in 1992.
—Ana Goñi-Lessan, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The imaging center, after winning the collection case against Millman, tried to garnish his wages, though that was unsuccessful because Millman had lost his IT job.
—Noam N. Levey, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
Warner, now 71, served as chairman of the Virginia Democratic Party from 1993 to 1995, before an unsuccessful run for Senate in 1996.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Chavez was a military officer who attempted an unsuccessful coup in 1992.
—Ana Goñi-Lessan, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsuccessful
Adjective
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Bayern coach José Barcala was also shown red by referee Ivana Martinčić for his protests, which were futile because a VAR check confirmed Kett’s foul.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The entire Earth knows it, and that makes trading Aiyuk for anything notable a nearly futile undertaking.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In a generally useless exercise, NFL draft analysts have delivered their annual grades.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
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What also follows is a useless debate over the cultural impact of the movie amid concerns that the film is a little loose with the truth or outright forgetful about key moments of Jackson’s complex and complicated life.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Six of the album’s tracks began in abortive sessions in the 2010s with Patti Smith Group bassist Tony Shanahan.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The Chinese duo’s voices pirouette around a pulse that sounds like a car door chime as abortive crashes puncture the otherwise placid, kickless ambience.—
James Gui,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsuccessful. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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