UNSUCCESSFUL Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

unsuccessful

adjective

ˌən-sək-ˈses-fəl

Definition of unsuccessful

as in futile

producing no results an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves

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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 unsuccessful The 41-year-old activist served on Ye’s unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign, which also included far-right influencer Nick Fuentes. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 Life-saving efforts were unsuccessful, and the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. — Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 28 Aug. 2026 Carollo’s time in city government ended last year after an unsuccessful mayoral campaign. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 In the book, these episodes are framed as worthwhile—if ultimately unsuccessful—attempts at depolarization. — Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsuccessful

Adjective

In sick bay, M’Benga tries to remove the table and end his life so Chapel can give up on him, an effort that proves futile.

— Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Its storyline spins the futile, determined chase of Wile to one day capture Roadrunner as something admirable, and applies that underdog mentality to the average person trying to navigate a late capitalist landscape that values profits over people.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of futile

Adjective

Primus could easily have been a blip, one of many abortive major label risks in a decade when the industry was swimming in cash.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
As children, Vi and Jinx lose their parents in an abortive revolution in Zaun, and years later find themselves on opposite sides of an unfolding power struggle between the two city-states.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 22 May 2026

Definition of abortive

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unsubtle

unsuccessful

unsuitability

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“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsuccessful. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unsuccessful

adjective

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