unhappily

adverb

un·​hap·​pi·​ly ˌən-ˈha-pə-lē How to pronounce unhappily (audio)
1
: unfortunately sense 1
unhappily, medicine has not yet found a cureDiana Trilling
2
: in an unhappy manner : without pleasure
practiced law unhappily for a few years

Examples of unhappily in a Sentence

They were unhappily married for two years. an unhappily married couple being counseled by a professional
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Moscow, Washington, and, however unhappily, Kyiv know that NATO membership is out of Ukraine’s reach. The Editors, National Review, 24 Apr. 2025 The seller was unhappily mulling it when another offer emerged, then another. Kim Velsey, Curbed, 7 Apr. 2025 The actor Steve Coogan plays Tom Michell, a teacher from southern England who is unhappily assigned to an upper-class boy’s school in 1970s Argentina. Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 The Palestinian population would live unhappily, but under the day-to-day administration of a Palestinian government. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unhappily

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhappily was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Unhappily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappily. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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