unsuccessful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unsuccessful
First recorded in 1610–20; un- 1 + successful
Explanation
When something is unsuccessful, it means it didn’t quite work out as planned, like trying to bake a towering, multilayered cake and ending up with a pancake instead. The word unsuccessful comes from the Latin roots un- meaning "not" and successus, meaning "a good outcome." It describes an attempt that doesn’t achieve its intended result. For example, an unsuccessful attempt at gardening will result in wilted plants rather than beautiful blooms. Although being unsuccessful can be frustrating, it’s also a valuable part of learning and growing. Many great inventors and artists faced unsuccessful attempts before finally succeeding.
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.
Shortly after, Sheinbaum announced that Mexico’s navy had been deployed from Acapulco in the ultimately unsuccessful search for a survivor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
There have also been several unsuccessful attacks in a region where piracy appears to be making a comeback.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
After three unsuccessful jabs with a tiny lancet, I had yet to produce enough blood to fill a circle on a collection card.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The question became widely known during the 1980s after physicist Richard Feynman described his own unsuccessful attempts to investigate it experimentally.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
From the onset of adolescence she’d been subjected to a series of unsuccessful schemes; every so often a small group of unmarried Bengali men materialized in the house, young colleagues of her father’s.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
