unhappily

adverb

ˌən-ˈha-pə-lē How to pronounce unhappily (audio)
Definition of unhappilynext
as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief an unhappily married couple being counseled by a professional

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of unhappily How many of my life decisions have been made in reaction to feeling unhappily married? — Liana Finck, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 Even at the elite level, some runners thrive under the long-term guidance of a coach, others seem to bounce unhappily from coach to coach, and a few—Frank Shorter, Patrick Sang, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are notable examples—have mostly preferred to call their own shots. — Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 22 Mar. 2026 Even high productivity numbers may not be enough to pay the government’s debts, and there will be many people unhappily and under-employed. — Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026 The film centers on Westley (Cary Elwes), a farmhand who goes on a noble quest to rescue his beloved Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the clutches of the loathsome Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon), to whom she's unhappily betrothed. — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unhappily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappily
  1. bitterly
  2. sadly
  3. sorrowfully
  4. painfully
  5. mournfully
Adverb
  • The country is already bitterly divided, with far-left and far-right parties leading opinion polls ahead of presidential elections next year.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Although the father of the proposal, Dave Regan, is the president of a union, the labor movement is bitterly divided over the effort.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • Residential floor plans in 2026 are sadly lacking in laundry chutes, milk doors and dumbwaiters, but innovations in home efficiency continue to evolve.
    — Jenny Singer, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Obviously, sadly, there have been a couple of deaths on the way.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of sadly
Adverb
  • Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Definition of sorrowfully
Adverb
  • The way Corenswet plays the denial and the grief, along with the emotional progression, is painfully human.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Junior running back Elijah Motley is painfully aware of his unfinished business for Shepard.
    — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of painfully
Adverb
  • Fra Fee, as Joe, has a slightly harder task, since his role is almost entirely reactive; while Ethan bangs on mournfully about, effectively, the dangers of shagging your brother’s wife — well, who would have thought?
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Mayfield watched mournfully in his kitchen while the rest of the family sat in the living room with the big screen next to a Christmas tree.
    — John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
Definition of mournfully

Browse Nearby Words

unhandy
unhappily
unhappiness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unhappily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappily. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of galore

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All