unhappy
Americanadjective
-
sad; miserable; wretched.
Why is she so unhappy?
- Synonyms:
- distressed, cheerless, downcast, sorrowful
-
unfortunate; unlucky.
an unhappy incident.
- Synonyms:
- hapless
-
unfavorable; inauspicious.
an unhappy omen.
- Synonyms:
- unpropitious
-
infelicitous; unsuitable.
an unhappy choice of words.
- Synonyms:
- inapt, inappropriate
-
Archaic. causing trouble; reprehensible; troublesome.
adjective
-
not joyful; sad or depressed
-
unfortunate or wretched
an unhappy fellow
-
tactless or inappropriate
an unhappy remark
-
archaic unfavourable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unhappy
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English: “causing misfortune, objectionable”; un- 1 + happy
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.
See Examples For:
First Warsh gave a big speech at the end of August signaling he was unhappy about stubbornly high inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
His relatives are also unhappy as he will have to spend six months with an electronic tag, housed three hours away from them in Cardiff.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
After a few years of glossy magazine profiles and raking in the big bucks, he was searching for meaning and unhappy with the “tragic artist” he met in the mirror.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
More than 80% of voters—and almost 60% of CDU voters—are unhappy with Merz’s work, according to an Infratest dimap poll released last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Perhaps she had come to prevent her unhappy customer from dripping hot salty tears on the books.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
A 2010 Brookings Institution paper found people were unhappier on days when gasoline rose above $3.50 and $4.00 a gallon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
"It should really shock our collective conscience… It will haunt us. We are seeing things happening that will make the world an unhappier place far beyond the region."
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2025
Not only does this “maximizer” mentality lead to more hoarding, it can also make you unhappier.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2023
Do you think I would actually be unhappier as a human?
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2023
We have fallen upon a plantation downriver with infinitely less gentility and infinitely unhappier issue.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
“You are only as happy as your unhappiest child, and me? I have so many.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Philippe Villeneuve, the cathedral's chief architect, described himself four years ago - after witnessing the fire - as "the unhappiest architect in the world".
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2023
Their new paper, which they describe as an “adversarial collaboration,” did find a plateau, but only among the unhappiest 20% of people, and only then when they start earning over $100,000.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2023
“He goes, ‘There he is,’” Mr. Caparulo said, “‘the unhappiest millionaire.’”
From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2021
She was the unhappiest I had ever seen her.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
