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:
The benefit of year-round daylight saving time would be 5:44 p.m. sunsets shortly after Thanksgiving for Los Angeles — a delight for Angelenos unhappy with 4:44 p.m. sunsets as winter approaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 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
We’d have far fewer ill-equipped managers and unhappy employees if people were more honest with themselves about whether they have the desire or ability to empathize with others and invest in their career growth.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
At least one Founders Fund limited partner refused to invest in the firm’s next fund, unhappy it was wagering on a rocket company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
With Twenty Questions we discovered that no, she was not unhappy about the marriage; yes, she liked Flip very much.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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
“You’re worshiped, and that year is over and you’re like anyone else. “We all feel that our husbands have been unhappier with ev-erything after they got out of it.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
“You are only as happy as your unhappiest child, and me? I have so many.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
At the other end of the scale, countries with the unhappiest populations were Afghanistan and Lebanon across age groups.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2024
The happiest young people are in Lithuania, while the unhappiest are in Afghanistan.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
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
“Akh! Doktor, send me now to a world without her. I am the unhappiest of men.”
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
