unsuccessful
adjective
un·suc·cess·ful
ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl 
: not successful : not meeting with or producing success
Synonyms
Examples of unsuccessful in a Sentence
His last novel was unsuccessful.
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
Recent Examples on the Web
Attempts to reach Board of Elections officials about Ike's case Tuesday night were unsuccessful.
—
Amber Hunt, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
Multiple attempts by Newsweek for comment from the Maritime Sikh Society have been unsuccessful.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Trump’s campaign and allies proceeded to file dozens of unsuccessful lawsuits challenging the result.
—Chantelle Lee, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
Momentum then seemed to stall, and Meta filed an unsuccessful motion to dismiss.
—Adriana Lee, WWD, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unsuccessful 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Amber Hunt, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
Multiple attempts by Newsweek for comment from the Maritime Sikh Society have been unsuccessful.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Trump’s campaign and allies proceeded to file dozens of unsuccessful lawsuits challenging the result.
—Chantelle Lee, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
Momentum then seemed to stall, and Meta filed an unsuccessful motion to dismiss.
—Adriana Lee, WWD, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Dictionary Entries Near unsuccessful
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsuccessful. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unsuccessful
adjective
un·suc·cess·ful
ˌən(t)-sək-ˈses-fəl
: not successful : not having or producing success
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share