unhappily
adverb
un·hap·pi·ly
ˌən-ˈha-pə-lē 
1
: unfortunately sense 1
Unhappily, medicine has not yet found a cure …—
Diana Trilling
Diana Trilling2
: in an unhappy manner : without pleasure
practiced law unhappily for a few years
Examples of unhappily in a Sentence
They were unhappily married for two years.
an unhappily married couple being counseled by a professional
Recent Examples on the Web
How many of my life decisions have been made in reaction to feeling unhappily married?
—Liana Finck, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Even at the elite level, some runners thrive under the long-term guidance of a coach, others seem to bounce unhappily from coach to coach, and a few—Frank Shorter, Patrick Sang, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are notable examples—have mostly preferred to call their own shots.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 22 Mar. 2026
Her eager supporting cast has no idea that the series is being written by anything other than its human faces, unhappily married couple Josh (John Early) and Mary (Abbi Jacobson).
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Even high productivity numbers may not be enough to pay the government’s debts, and there will be many people unhappily and under-employed.
—Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unhappily
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Liana Finck, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Even at the elite level, some runners thrive under the long-term guidance of a coach, others seem to bounce unhappily from coach to coach, and a few—Frank Shorter, Patrick Sang, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are notable examples—have mostly preferred to call their own shots.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 22 Mar. 2026
Her eager supporting cast has no idea that the series is being written by anything other than its human faces, unhappily married couple Josh (John Early) and Mary (Abbi Jacobson).
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Even high productivity numbers may not be enough to pay the government’s debts, and there will be many people unhappily and under-employed.
—Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unhappily
Cite this Entry
“Unhappily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappily. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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