unsuccessful

adjective

un·​suc·​cess·​ful ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl How to pronounce unsuccessful (audio)
: not successful : not meeting with or producing success
unsuccessfully adverb

Examples of unsuccessful in a Sentence

His last novel was unsuccessful. an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
Recent Examples on the Web In February of last year, workers went on strike when negotiations over wages during contract talks were unsuccessful. Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 As president, Trump was unsuccessful in attempts to force ByteDance to sell majority control in TikTok to U.S. owners. Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 Previous efforts to develop Influence as the fourth spinoff were unsuccessful as Starz says additional news in the Power franchise will be forthcoming as the premium cable network prepares to split off from its current ownership, Lionsgate. Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Police say a man and a woman showed up on Dec. 21, attempted to drill into the machine, but were unsuccessful. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 Bystanders and Oak Creek police performed CPR on the driver, but were unsuccessful, Kressuk said. Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024 But efforts to contact Hebron — including asking those who knew him about his whereabouts — were unsuccessful. Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Efforts to resuscitate all three dogs were unsuccessful. CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 First responders soon retrieved Chao from her vehicle and began resuscitation efforts but were unsuccessful, according to the Wall Street Journal. Chris Boyette, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unsuccessful.' 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

1617, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unsuccessful was in 1617

Dictionary Entries Near unsuccessful

Cite this Entry

“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsuccessful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unsuccessful

adjective
un·​suc·​cess·​ful ˌən(t)-sək-ˈses-fəl How to pronounce unsuccessful (audio)
: not successful : not having or producing success
unsuccessfully adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on unsuccessful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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