1
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
he's been unhappy ever since his family's move, which took him away from all his friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
she's trying to forget that whole unhappy attempt to start a business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unsuitable
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
a guest unintentionally made unhappy reference to what is a painful situation for the family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unhappy
There is one player from a trio season that was decidedly unhappy to see a fellow player joining her back in Fiji.
—
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Thirteen years after her speech, Foster feels as though her warning to the audience that privacy was vanishing has come true, and is unhappy about it.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
While most in the crowd cheered Barger, at least one person was unhappy with her work.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026
As with Sátántangó, Tarr devised exquisite tracking shots that seemed to float through János’ unhappy universe, delivering one knockout image after another.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unhappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappy
Adjective
-
In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans.—
-
Although there are infinitely many happy numbers there are also infinitely many sad ones.—
Adjective
-
Their late concession of the winning penalty to Morgan Gibbs-White, above, was unfortunate.—
-
Many unfortunate events were blamed on poison—the unexpected death of an enslaver or a slave, a spate of local deaths due to a virus or other disease, or problems on the plantation such as ill livestock or bad harvests.—
Adjective
-
Soils that are high in peat moss are unsuitable for citrus trees.—
-
These tests, though frequently used in Denmark as part of child protection investigations, were criticized as inappropriate and unsuitable for the people of Greenland and other minorities.—
Adjective
-
Countries such as the Netherlands and Canada that passed similar bills have gone on to expand this type of legislation to allow doctors to give lethal medication to the depressed and other people with mental illnesses.—
-
Yes, our political leaders have given some of us reason to be resentful, cynical and even depressed.—
Adjective
-
The spotlight increased after a disastrous interview with CBS to promote the legendary coach’s book.—
-
Second goal breaks Charlotte’s back The second half opened with a disastrous sequence for Charlotte.—
Adjective
-
What readers are saying The comments largely focus on the need for the boyfriend to set boundaries with his sister, who exhibits possessive and inappropriate behavior.—
-
The judge seemed to express skepticism toward the defense's argument that officers recovering Mangione's backpack and taking it to the station for examination was inappropriate.—
Adjective
-
On a tour full of reasons to be miserable, England will leave Australia with at least one ray of light for the future.—
-
The series centers around Timmy Turner, a miserable 10-year-old whose life improves significantly after he is given two fairy godparents named Wanda and Cosmo.—
Adjective
-
As analysis, that’s not wrong, but where’s the sting of it inside this bizarre bonbon of a musical?—
-
Despite his brilliance and intellect, he was prevented from having a full life by being born on the wrong side of Israel’s separation fence.—
Cite this Entry
“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappy. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share