unhappy

adjective

un·​hap·​py ˌən-ˈha-pē 

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

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

Laviolette puts lines in a blender Clearly unhappy with his team’s effort against Pittsburgh on Friday, Laviolette made drastic changes to his lineup. —Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025

The indie drama follows Diana (Rodriguez), an unhappy teenager who begins training at a boxing gym as a release for her frustrations, only to discover she's got a talent for the sport. —James Mercadante, EW.com, 8 Feb. 2025

Many users are rushing to social media to voice their complaints, with one Reddit thread picking up over 10,000 comments, mostly complaints from unhappy gamers. —Will McCurdy, PCMAG, 8 Feb. 2025

Although many Indiana Jones fans were unhappy with the last installment, Harrison Ford has made his peace with the character. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

-ˈhap-ə-lē

adverb

unhappiness

-ˈhap-i-nəs

noun