as in futile
producing no results
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
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 unsuccessful
An impasse was declared in November 2024, and in February a fourth mediation attempt again was unsuccessful.
—
Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Last May, students barricaded themselves inside the building—after dedicating it to the famed Palestinian painter who died in 2024 following unsuccessful appeals for a medical evacuation from Gaza— amid a rising wave of pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses across the United States.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Nonetheless, Punk had two very unsuccessful, farcical moments in the Octagon, so there could be some credence to Paul’s thought that White wanted nothing else to do with a crossover fight from a WWE Superstar.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The other is in Florida's 1st Congressional District, to replace former Representative and unsuccessful U.S. attorney general pick Matt Gaetz.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Last May, students barricaded themselves inside the building—after dedicating it to the famed Palestinian painter who died in 2024 following unsuccessful appeals for a medical evacuation from Gaza— amid a rising wave of pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses across the United States.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Nonetheless, Punk had two very unsuccessful, farcical moments in the Octagon, so there could be some credence to Paul’s thought that White wanted nothing else to do with a crossover fight from a WWE Superstar.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The other is in Florida's 1st Congressional District, to replace former Representative and unsuccessful U.S. attorney general pick Matt Gaetz.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsuccessful
Adjective
-
Impeachment of judges, however, is widely seen as a futile endeavor on Capitol Hill.—
Tara Suter,
The Hill,
3 Apr. 2025
-
The confrontation ends in an electric if futile horse chase.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
For most of us, our inbox goals are the same: minimize useless spam, file away messages that don’t require your attention right away, and bring urgent items to the forefront.—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
His devastating splitter would be useless without first establishing everything else in the strike zone.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump hosts Ireland head of government Micheal Martin Although Democrats beat expectations in the midterm elections two years earlier, Biden headed into his abortive reelection bid with low job approval ratings.—
W. James Antle III,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The picture arrives, of course, at a fallow time for Marvel, after a string of duds and an abortive attempt to introduce a new superhero phase following the climactic, stage-clearing (and absurdly lucrative) battles of Avengers: Endgame.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
23 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsuccessful. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share