unhappiness

noun

Definition of unhappinessnext
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits with time the young woman got over the unhappiness caused by the breakup

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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 unhappiness But somehow, in the midst of all this frat-boy revelry, Ilya is able to outline his vision for the future, one in which AI will have solved numerous human problems, including eradicating not only cancer but also loneliness and unhappiness. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026 And while there’d been some unhappiness between her and the Borden girls a few years before the murders — a disagreement over a property the family owned — there wasn’t the kind of outright resentment portrayed in the show. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026 The post and later comments arrived two months before the midterm elections, where Americans’ unhappiness with persistent high inflation has been a dominant theme. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026 Allen is among several NFL players who have expressed unhappiness with artificial turf. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026 Overall, though, the extent of unhappiness over pricing appears to be relatively mixed, with most clubs’ supporters’ trusts and groups having more limited grumbles. — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The more pragmatic camp argues that maintaining unity during the war requires addressing the public's unhappiness over the economy as well as political and social repression. — ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026 There is more potential this month for unhappiness to reach you in this way. — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026 Fortunately, there was always a healthy level of unhappiness with progress that has brought us to the doorstep of AI, where the possibilities can become limitless. — Anisha Manvatkar, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappiness
  1. sadness
  2. depression
  3. melancholy
Noun
  • There was a moment this week when tears of sadness gave way to elation for one California couple.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The local journalists who cover the Bend community every day were not immune from the grief and sadness after today’s deadly shooting of children at an elementary school.
    — Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • The depression that plagues him in winters is nowhere to be found.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But their emergence also underscores how much psychiatry still needs to learn about the biological underpinnings of depression and why patients respond differently to treatment.
    — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of melancholy

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Cite this Entry

“Unhappiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappiness. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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