unsuccessful

adjective

un·​suc·​cess·​ful ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl 

: not successful : not meeting with or producing success

unsuccessfully

ˌən-sək-ˈses-fə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• abortive
• barren
• bootless
• empty
• fruitless
• futile
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• inefficacious
• otiose
• profitless
• unavailing
• unproductive
• unprofitable
• useless
• vain

Examples of unsuccessful in a Sentence

His last novel was unsuccessful.

an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves

Recent Examples on the Web

Funding Nearly Halted Worldwide: State Department Putin Faces 'Really Big Problems' in Russian Economy: Report The U.S. has been sued in the past over the policy, though the lawsuits have been unsuccessful. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025

Early attempts that fell short reveal that most cellular love affairs are unsuccessful. —Molly Herring, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2025

The choice to send an open letter suggest that attempts to handle the matter privately have been unsuccessful. —Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

Franklin and Nix were unsuccessful in connecting on the deep ball until the playoffs. —Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing unsuccessful

• make an unsuccessful run for

Kids Definition

unsuccessful

adjective

un·​suc·​cess·​ful ˌən(t)-sək-ˈses-fəl 

: not successful : not having or producing success

unsuccessfully

-fə-lē 

adverb