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 When the Nazis ask Lelong for dresses for their wives and girlfriends, Dior objects but unhappily complies. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 The film stars Tom Hanks as Sam, a widower who tells his story of grief to a national radio program, which attracts the attention of Annie (Meg Ryan), a reporter who is unhappily engaged. Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 27 Nov. 2023 Its speakers keep crackling unhappily at me for no readily apparent reason. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 5 July 2023 Instead, the overwhelming majority of perps caught on camera in Class 57 tend to run, hide in locked trailers, slump over in an intoxicated stupor, or cooperate unhappily. Sam Russek, The New Republic, 20 Oct. 2023 In her second photo, Simpson shows off her adorable dog Dixie, who’s (much more unhappily) receiving a shower. Henry Chandonnet, Peoplemag, 17 July 2023 The tutor laughed at the pair of them, sitting there at the table so unhappily, just because of maths. Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 His Vanity Fair melded deep investigative journalism with voyeuristic glimpses into the lives of the unhappily rich and famous, and chummy, soft-focus paeans to the movie stars on its covers. Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 6 June 2023 The story follows Bridget Everett’s Sam, who has unhappily returned to her tiny hometown in Kansas to nurse her dying sister. Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unhappily.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near unhappily

Cite this Entry

“Unhappily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappily. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

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