unsuccessful

adjective

un·​suc·​cess·​ful ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl How to pronounce unsuccessful (audio)
: not successful : not meeting with or producing success
unsuccessfully adverb

Examples of unsuccessful in a Sentence

His last novel was unsuccessful. an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
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.
In his unsuccessful 2020 race, Trump garnered almost 13,000 votes. Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press, 20 Nov. 2024 Riley's mother began to get worried, and phone records show that many of Riley's family members attempted to reach her but were unsuccessful. Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024 The 27-year-old previously ran an unsuccessful race for Congress in New Hampshire. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2024 Efforts to reach the five companies named as defendants in the lawsuit and the attorneys representing the Williams family were unsuccessful Friday. Noelle Phillips, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unsuccessful 

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unsuccessful was in 1617

Dictionary Entries Near unsuccessful

Cite this Entry

“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsuccessful. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

unsuccessful

adjective
un·​suc·​cess·​ful ˌən(t)-sək-ˈses-fəl How to pronounce unsuccessful (audio)
: not successful : not having or producing success
unsuccessfully adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on unsuccessful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!