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:
Some of the other top-notch Dodgers starters might also be unhappy if denied a chance to start a postseason game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
But they're far from the only unhappy federation.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
“Most of the external focus will be on the unhappy part of the K—we find ourselves on the happy part.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
According to a Pew Research Center survey released in October 2025, large majorities of Americans are unhappy with both political parties.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
In that moment, despite all that had happened, she finally did think of the unhappy Babushkinov family with something like forgiveness.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Early in his speech, Burnham remarked that Parliament seemed to be an unhappier place than when he was last an MP.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
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
Not only does this “maximizer” mentality lead to more hoarding, it can also make you unhappier.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2023
He is played in his 30s and 40s by Jack Lowden and as an older, unhappier man by Peter Capaldi, whose resemblance to late photographs of Sassoon is uncanny.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2022
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.
