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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unhappy
Deadline hears that the number of contract cleaners at the BBC’s London headquarters will be slashed by 70% from 31 to nine, according to unhappy insiders.
—
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
For a delivery robot that needs to drop food at a precise doorstep, being several feet off means unhappy customers complaining their burger is cold—or in their neighbor’s tummy.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Voters in a key swing district are unhappy about rising gas prices but still plan to vote Republican in the midterms.
—David Hickey, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
For many, the mention of algebra summons only unhappy memories of confused encounters with inscrutable equations.
—Dan Rockmore, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unhappy
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
For a delivery robot that needs to drop food at a precise doorstep, being several feet off means unhappy customers complaining their burger is cold—or in their neighbor’s tummy.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Voters in a key swing district are unhappy about rising gas prices but still plan to vote Republican in the midterms.
—David Hickey, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
For many, the mention of algebra summons only unhappy memories of confused encounters with inscrutable equations.
—Dan Rockmore, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unhappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappy
Adjective
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One of the saddest bits of it, actually!—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
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Sister Jean would pass away at age 106 this past October, a sad metaphor for the fate of Cinderella.—
Greg Cote
Updated March 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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One bad matchup, one bad shooting night, one unfortunate stretch of five minutes can define a season’s ending.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
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And there are a slew of new candidates for the blood cannon in Ready or Not 2, whose baddies are a more wide-ranging lot than the Le Domases, the game-company-owning clan that Grace (Samara Weaving) is unfortunate enough to marry into in the original Ready or Not.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The disease causes bitter, misshapen fruit unsuitable for sale or eating; infected trees eventually die, according to the CDFA.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
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So many clubs have fallen victim to unsuitable ownership and abject mismanagement, dragged down far beyond their natural level.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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First, when shares are at a depressed value, investors can move more of them into the tax-free account.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
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Dee labeled Angie as depressed, bipolar, lacking empathy, narcissistic, et cetera.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Washington Post,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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So had Florida not decided to tweak its offense to emphasize paint touches, dwindling the bricks its guards had regularly tossed through the first two disastrous months, this could have been a historic season.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
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Part of the rush to take up flags may be the disastrous economy in Britain.—
Simon Constable,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Making matters worse, the Blueprint is wholly inappropriate for many of Maryland’s counties.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Mar. 2026
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As City Hall contracted with Washington’s organization, emails detailing allegations of inappropriate behavior followed, The Star found.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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So then life becomes miserable, and a footballer that’s unhappy doesn’t perform.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
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Hurricanes lead to power failures that make heat waves more miserable.—
Mark Gongloff,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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As another election approaches, millions of Floridians can prove just how wrong DeSantis was.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
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On isolated occasions a carp has been spotted on the wrong side of the electrical barrier.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappy. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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