unsuccessful

[ uhn-suhk-ses-fuhl ]
See synonyms for unsuccessful on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not achieving or not attended with success: an unsuccessful person;an unsuccessful venture.

Origin of unsuccessful

1
First recorded in 1610–20; un-1 + successful

Other words for unsuccessful

Other words from unsuccessful

  • un·suc·cess·ful·ly, adverb
  • un·suc·cess·ful·ness, noun

Words Nearby unsuccessful

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unsuccessful in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unsuccessful

unsuccessful

/ (ˌʌnsəkˈsɛsfʊl) /


adjective
  1. not having succeeded

Derived forms of unsuccessful

  • unsuccessfully, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012