unsuccessful

unsuccessful — adjective

1. happening or turning out differently from what a person aimed for, so that the i

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

happening or turning out differently from what a person aimed for, so that the intended result does not come about

Example

Ezra's attempt to start his own bakery was unsuccessful, but he learnt a lot.

attempt [to do sth] + was unsuccessful

The team's search for a new designer proved unsuccessful, so they trained a junior colleague.

proved unsuccessful

Common collocations
  • unsuccessful attempt
  • unsuccessful bid
  • unsuccessful effort
  • unsuccessful application
  • unsuccessful search
  • unsuccessful operation
  • unsuccessful campaign
Synonyms
  • failed

    more direct and commonly used before nouns; suggests a clear lack of success (a failed project)

  • fruitless

    more formal; emphasises that an effort produced no result at all despite hard work

  • vain

    formal or literary; suggests effort was wasted and nothing was gained

  • abortive

    formal; describes something that was stopped before it could be completed

Antonyms
  • successful

    the direct opposite; achieving the intended result

Grammar Patterns

be unsuccessful

prove unsuccessful

unsuccessful + noun

Usage Note

Commonly used with nouns such as attempt, effort, bid, application, and search. Frequently appears after verbs like be, prove, or remain.

Common Mistakes

He made an unsuccessful failed attempt to fix the bike.
His attempt to fix the bike was unsuccessful.
failed and unsuccessful together is redundant; use one or the other.
She unsuccessful tried to open the door.
She tried unsuccessfully to open the door.
unsuccessful is an adjective; use the adverb unsuccessfully to modify a verb.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe an outcome that did not succeed, but they differ in tone and use. Failed is the most direct and neutral; it is common before nouns (a failed marriage, a failed experiment) and states simply that something did not work. Fruitless is more formal and suggests that a great deal of effort produced nothing (a fruitless search for survivors). Vain carries a literary or emotional tone, implying that the effort was pointless or wasted (a vain attempt to change her mind). Abortive is the most formal and often describes something that was cut short before completion (an abortive military coup). In everyday speech, unsuccessful and failed are the safer choices; fruitless, vain, and abortive belong to more formal or dramatic contexts.

failed ↗fruitlessvain ↗abortive

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • completely unsuccessful
  • largely unsuccessful
  • ultimately unsuccessful
  • previously unsuccessful

Phrases

  • prove unsuccessful
  • declare unsuccessful
  • end unsuccessful

Prepositions

  • unsuccessful in [doing sth]
  • unsuccessful at [doing sth]

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English by adding the prefix un- (meaning 'not') to successful. The word successful comes from success (a favourable result) plus the suffix -ful. Success traces back through French to Latin successus, meaning 'an advance, a good result', from the verb succedere — 'to come after' or 'to go close to'.