unhappy

adjective

un·​hap·​py ˌən-ˈha-pē How to pronounce unhappy (audio)
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

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
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.
Some are unhappy with the people executing his vision for a smaller government. 2️⃣ Soccer showcase: The 2026 World Cup is still more than a year away, but there are already big concerns over whether the host country is ready. Daniel Wine, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025 Independent distributors are unhappy with the growing percentage of royalty payments for their artists that are too low to be worth processing. Bill Rosenblatt, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025 The Penguins listed Bunting as a healthy scratch early this season because coaches were unhappy with his effort in games and practices. Josh Yohe, The Athletic, 6 Mar. 2025 The new coaching staff would have had to potentially navigate a tough situation if Odighizuwa was unhappy with being franchise-tagged instead of given a new deal. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unhappy

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhappy was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

unhappy

adjective
un·​hap·​py ˌən-ˈhap-ē How to pronounce unhappy (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on unhappy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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