un ‧ hap ‧ py S3 /ʌnˈhæpi/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative unhappier , superlative unhappiest )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ happiness ≠ ↑ unhappiness ; adverb : ↑ happily ≠ ↑ unhappily ; adjective : ↑ happy ≠ ↑ unhappy ]
1 . not happy ⇨ sad :
If you’re so unhappy, why don’t you change jobs?
Leslie had an unhappy childhood.
an unhappy marriage
I was desperately unhappy.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say they feel down or fed up rather than unhappy :
▪
The situation at home was making her feel very down.
2 . feeling worried or annoyed because you do not like what is happening in a particular situation
unhappy about/at (doing) something
Dennis is unhappy about having to work on a Saturday.
unhappy with
We were all unhappy with the quality of the service.
3 . formal an unhappy remark, situation etc is not suitable, lucky, or desirable SYN unfortunate :
an unhappy coincidence
—unhappiness noun [uncountable]
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ verbs
▪ feel unhappy
After a while I didn’t feel quite so unhappy.
▪ look unhappy
Both his parents looked very unhappy.
▪ seem unhappy
Did Bill seem unhappy to you?
■ adverbs
▪ very/deeply unhappy
The Government was deeply unhappy about criticism from the press.
▪ desperately/terribly/dreadfully unhappy
It was the first time she had been away from home and she was desperately unhappy.
■ nouns
▪ an unhappy childhood
Stevens had a unhappy childhood in Manchester.
▪ an unhappy marriage
Her parents had had an unhappy marriage.
▪ unhappy memories
Ruth tried to put these unhappy memories from her mind.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ sad not happy:
She felt sad as she waved goodbye.
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a sad and lonely figure
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a sad face
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a sad film
▪ unhappy sad, especially for a long time – used about people and periods of time:
I was unhappy at school.
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an unhappy childhood
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He’s obviously a deeply unhappy person.
▪ homesick [not before noun] sad because you are away from your home, family, and friends:
She sometimes felt homesick when she first arrived in Japan.
▪ down [not before noun] informal feeling sad for a few hours or days, often for no reason:
Whenever I’m feeling down, I go out and buy myself some new clothes.
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She’s been kind of down since that argument with Jack.
▪ gloomy looking or sounding sad and without hope – used about people, places, and weather:
Why are you all looking so gloomy?
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the gloomy immigration office
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a gloomy afternoon in February
▪ dejected/downcast looking sad and disappointed because something you hoped for did not happen:
‘I didn’t pass,’ he said, looking dejected.
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a downcast expression
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He was understandably downcast after the team’s loss.
▪ mournful especially literary looking or sounding sad:
the dog’s big mournful eyes
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the mournful sound of the church bell
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a mournful expression
▪ glum looking sad and disappointed:
Don’t look so glum! Maybe you’ll win next time.
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They sat in glum silence.
▪ wistful especially literary looking a little sad and thoughtful, because you wish that the situation was different:
She looked at him with a wistful smile.