as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
an unhappily married couple being counseled by a professional
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unhappily
But a Democratic victory in 2026 is not likely to end this cycle, in which majorities hate how both parties handle immigration and ping-pong unhappily between them.
—
Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
She's unhappily laid up right now after a hit and run car accident near her Cranston home.
—Gail Ciampa, The Providence Journal, 21 Jan. 2026
The film centers on Westley (Cary Elwes), a farmhand who goes on a noble quest to rescue his beloved Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the clutches of the loathsome Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon), to whom she's unhappily betrothed.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
One of the youngest of the MacKenzie brood (and often seen with sister Janet), Jocasta Cameron is sometimes callously honest, perpetually jealous of the attention Ellen gets, and unhappily married to an old man.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhappily
Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
She's unhappily laid up right now after a hit and run car accident near her Cranston home.
—Gail Ciampa, The Providence Journal, 21 Jan. 2026
The film centers on Westley (Cary Elwes), a farmhand who goes on a noble quest to rescue his beloved Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the clutches of the loathsome Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon), to whom she's unhappily betrothed.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
One of the youngest of the MacKenzie brood (and often seen with sister Janet), Jocasta Cameron is sometimes callously honest, perpetually jealous of the attention Ellen gets, and unhappily married to an old man.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhappily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappily
Adverb
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Generational and ideological battle lines were drawn; perhaps most bitterly, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and aligned super political action committees spent $7 million in this district alone.—
David Daley,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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But Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate find themselves at a familiar impasse, bitterly divided over which approach to take.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Raffles London at The OWO’s interiors impresario Thierry Despont sadly died this summer, before the final unveiling of his oeuvre.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
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But, this is sadly a highly attractive spot for dirt, dust, and dead bugs to collect.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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Reaching for Miranda's hand, Greta is painfully aware of how unmanicured and rough her nails are.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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After walking for just a few minutes, their legs would painfully freeze up, as if turning to rock — an agony no doctor could explain.—
Alexandra Sifferlin,
STAT,
31 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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For their part, Democratic leaders spoke mournfully of limits, of energy shortages, of national decline, of a crisis of confidence itself.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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Based on the Dylan Thomas prose poem of the same name, published in 1952, the film lovingly and mournfully depicts the boyhood Christmastime of an old Welshman, tenderly and a tad mischievously embodied by Elliott.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unhappily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappily. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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