unsuccessful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unsuccessfully adverb
- unsuccessfulness noun
Etymology
Origin of unsuccessful
First recorded in 1610–20; un- 1 + successful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Efforts to reach Sim, who U.S. officials say is living in China, were unsuccessful.
This may seem like an unlikely crusade for the president, but the proposal to insure hair loss treatment was a rallying cry in Lee's unsuccessful 2022 presidential campaign.
From BBC
After an unsuccessful run for Los Angeles County district attorney in 2012, Jackson switched sides.
According to a memo from the league to teams, however, “those discussions have been unsuccessful.”
From 2023, he made three unsuccessful attempts to migrate to Europe, reaching as far as Morocco.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
