unhappy
adjective
un·hap·py
ˌən-ˈha-pē 
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy coincidence
3
a
: causing or subject to misfortune : inauspicious
b
: infelicitous, inappropriate
an unhappy choice
unhappiness
noun
Synonyms
- bad
- blue
- brokenhearted
- cast down
- crestfallen
- dejected
- depressed
- despondent
- disconsolate
- doleful
- down
- down in the mouth
- downcast
- downhearted
- droopy
- forlorn
- gloomy
- glum
- hangdog
- heartbroken
- heartsick
- heartsore
- heavyhearted
- inconsolable
- joyless
- low
- low-spirited
- melancholic
- melancholy
- miserable
- mournful
- sad
- saddened
- sorrowful
- sorry
- woebegone
- woeful
- wretched
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
Shariff said not everyone in the Cowboys organization would be unhappy if Parsons departed.
—
Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
Most Americans are unhappy with the choice between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden.
—Rebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Some are also unhappy that the dam embankment built in 2010 was unable to defend their city.
—Reuters, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
But the two groups already had tensions between them, and Hassabis is unhappy with the arrangement, according to new reporting from The Information.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
One day, around Christmas 2015, when Hernandez was working at Pizzeria Bianco's kitchen, Holguin arrived home and shared unhappy news about the recent change in position at her current job.
—The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2024
Lastly, lonelier and unhappy employees also expressed a greater intention to quit within the next 12 months, nearly twice as likely as other workers.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
That unhappy statistic reflected a growing consensus that while the rest of the nation is enjoying a fairly vigorous recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, California is lagging behind.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Long, unhappy marriages can make anyone angry and bitter.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
Most Americans are unhappy with the choice between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden.
—Rebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Some are also unhappy that the dam embankment built in 2010 was unable to defend their city.
—Reuters, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
But the two groups already had tensions between them, and Hassabis is unhappy with the arrangement, according to new reporting from The Information.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
One day, around Christmas 2015, when Hernandez was working at Pizzeria Bianco's kitchen, Holguin arrived home and shared unhappy news about the recent change in position at her current job.
—The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2024
Lastly, lonelier and unhappy employees also expressed a greater intention to quit within the next 12 months, nearly twice as likely as other workers.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
That unhappy statistic reflected a growing consensus that while the rest of the nation is enjoying a fairly vigorous recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, California is lagging behind.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Long, unhappy marriages can make anyone angry and bitter.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unhappy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
unhappy
adjective
un·hap·py
ˌən-ˈhap-ē
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy mistake
2
: not cheerful : sad
3
: inappropriate
an unhappy color combination
unhappily
adverb
-ˈhap-ə-lē
unhappiness
noun
-ˈhap-i-nəs
More from Merriam-Webster on unhappy
Nglish: Translation of unhappy for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of unhappy for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share