unhappy

adjective

un·​hap·​py ˌən-ˈha-pē How to pronounce unhappy (audio)
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy coincidence
2
: not cheerful or glad : sad, wretched
3
a
: causing or subject to misfortune : inauspicious
b
: infelicitous, inappropriate
an unhappy choice
unhappiness noun

Examples of unhappy in a Sentence

I can see that he's unhappy, but I don't know why. I've never seen her looking so unhappy. For three unhappy days we were all stuck in the house because of the blizzard. an unhappy choice of career The movie's hero meets an unhappy fate.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Instead of simply telling CEOs that employees are unhappy, provide hard evidence that points to why. Alena Botros, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024 Pickford grew up in a quiet, unhappy house near Richmond Park, in southwest London. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024 But if people disagree on who won the election, some percentage of bettors are destined to be deeply unhappy, no matter how fairly these markets are resolved. Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024 Sadly, the ending is an unhappy one for every snake the team finds. Longreads, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unhappy 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhappy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near unhappy

Cite this Entry

“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappy. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

unhappy

adjective
un·​hap·​py ˌən-ˈhap-ē How to pronounce unhappy (audio)
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy mistake
2
: not cheerful : sad
3
: inappropriate
an unhappy color combination
unhappily
-ˈhap-ə-lē
adverb
unhappiness
-ˈhap-i-nəs
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on unhappy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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