as in futile
producing no results
an unsuccessful attempt to fix the faucet ourselves
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsuccessful
Emergency responders searched the river and surrounding areas, but were unable to locate him — and a search the following day was also unsuccessful.
—
David Chiu, People.com, 5 June 2025
Russian military bloggers said the attack had been unsuccessful and speculated that it had been carried out by a Ukrainian sea drone.
—Pavel Polityuk, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Vista Mayor John Franklin, meanwhile, was on the city council that voted in 2018 to support the Trump administration’s unsuccessful lawsuit against California’s sanctuary state law.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Officials said he was found semiconscious on the River Trail on June 30 but resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
David Chiu, People.com, 5 June 2025
Russian military bloggers said the attack had been unsuccessful and speculated that it had been carried out by a Ukrainian sea drone.
—Pavel Polityuk, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Vista Mayor John Franklin, meanwhile, was on the city council that voted in 2018 to support the Trump administration’s unsuccessful lawsuit against California’s sanctuary state law.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Officials said he was found semiconscious on the River Trail on June 30 but resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsuccessful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsuccessful
Adjective
-
Cutting spending wasted on a futile pursuit of a global empire is not just a fiscal necessity.—
Ron Paul,
Oc Register,
20 May 2025
-
Desperate Steve Kerr frequently toggled his non-Draymond Green big men as late as the second round of the playoffs in a futile effort to contain the giants of the Minnesota Timberwolves around the rim.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
The character who can go through walls is useless, because beyond the walls is nothing but dirt.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
24 May 2025
-
For one, any melasma treatment is practically useless without them.—
Jenny Berg,
Allure,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
In the abortive March 2022 draft deals, Russia even expressed a willingness to return to preinvasion lines.—
Fred Weir,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 May 2025
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Despite being hurt by a number of abortive early stabs at voice recognition in decades gone by, voice recognition when done well can actually provide a uniquely direct way of accessing content and features on modern TVs.—
John Archer,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsuccessful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsuccessful. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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