unsuccessful
adjective
un·suc·cess·ful
ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl 
: not successful : not meeting with or producing success
Examples of unsuccessful in a Sentence
His last novel was unsuccessful.
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
Recent Examples on the Web
Life-saving efforts were unsuccessful and the man was pronounced dead at the scene, said Officer Anthony Gamble, a Sacramento Police Department spokesperson.
—
The Sacramento Bee, Sacbee.com, 29 June 2025
Attempts to impeach Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018, were unsuccessful.
—Avet Demourian, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
The right-leaning publication had been unsuccessful; Moyers moved the paper in a more progressive direction, bringing in writers such as Pete Hamill, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and Saul Bellow, and increasing the publication’s investigative reporting and analysis.
—Carmel Dagan, Variety, 26 June 2025
Efforts to contact Roundy and Fischer were unsuccessful Thursday.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 26 June 2025
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.
The Sacramento Bee, Sacbee.com, 29 June 2025
Attempts to impeach Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018, were unsuccessful.
—Avet Demourian, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
The right-leaning publication had been unsuccessful; Moyers moved the paper in a more progressive direction, bringing in writers such as Pete Hamill, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and Saul Bellow, and increasing the publication’s investigative reporting and analysis.
—Carmel Dagan, Variety, 26 June 2025
Efforts to contact Roundy and Fischer were unsuccessful Thursday.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsuccessful. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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