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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 With these blue collar parents’ grade-school-age son a tangibly quiet presence, a seemingly impassable unhappiness oozes from the opening scenes. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhappiness
  1. sadness
  2. depression
  3. melancholy
Noun
  • Tsai, the Stanford professor, has conducted research on how emotion in American culture puts value on trying to always feel positive and minimizing negativity and sadness.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Survey findings About 28% of Gaston respondents reported moderate or higher levels of negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety, anger or boredom, compared with roughly 10% in Union, Venkitasubramanian said.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • By contrast, Alzheimer’s disease typically is associated with memory and language loss, and is more associated with apathy and depression than with anxiety.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The authors note that high-functioning depression is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, the manual clinicians use to diagnose mental health conditions.
    — Allison Aubrey, NPR, 29 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

Browse Nearby Words

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unhappiness
unhappy
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Cite this Entry

“Unhappiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhappiness. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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