Etymologically
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unhappy

Etymology and origin of the English word unhappy

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
before 1300

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʌnˈhæpi/[1]

Etymology

It is from un- and happy,[2][3] or from Middle English unhap, misfortune, mishap (from Old Norse úhapp; see hap) with the suffix -y.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Causing misfortune or trouble to oneself or others: before 1300 in the OED, about 1300 in Etymonline.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

Of persons, unfortunate, unlucky, ill-fated, is from 1375 (the late 14th century),[6][2] and the sense miserable, wretched, at first through misfortune, not cheerful, is also by the late 14th century.[2][4] Of things, associated with or causing misfortune, it is from about 1386,[6] and inauspicious from 1533.[6] Unsuccessful, apt to make mistakes, is from 1651.[6] Not satisfied, displeased, and unsuitable or tactless, as an unhappy choice of words, are further modern senses.[7][8] A verb unhappy, to make unhappy, from the late 16th century, is long archaic.[3]

Timeline

  • before 1300 – causing misfortune.[6]
  • 1375 – unlucky.[6]
  • late 14th century – miserable.[2]
  • c. 1386 – bringing misfortune.[6]
  • 1651 – unsuccessful.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Not happy or joyful; sad.
  2. Not satisfied; displeased or discontented.
  3. Unfortunate or unlucky.
  4. Not suitable; tactless: an unhappy remark.

Word family

  • unhappily
  • unhappiness

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Unhappy.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/unhappy. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·