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
The next day, a very unhappy Joseph Murray called Frances again.
—
Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2024
Some of the women who told the BBC about their experiences with Al Fayed were unhappy with his portrayal in the Netflix series.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024
According to reports, tensions between the band had been simmering for some time during the tour, with Navarro frustrated by Farrell’s long-winded bantering with the crowd and Farrell unhappy with the onstage sound while battling tinnitus and a sore throat.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2024
Of course, there are plenty of reasons students may be unhappy in college that are unrelated to their campus of choice.
—Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unhappy 
Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2024
Some of the women who told the BBC about their experiences with Al Fayed were unhappy with his portrayal in the Netflix series.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024
According to reports, tensions between the band had been simmering for some time during the tour, with Navarro frustrated by Farrell’s long-winded bantering with the crowd and Farrell unhappy with the onstage sound while battling tinnitus and a sore throat.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2024
Of course, there are plenty of reasons students may be unhappy in college that are unrelated to their campus of choice.
—Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unhappy
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.
Dictionary Entries Near unhappy
Cite this Entry
“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappy. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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