noun
-
evil fortune; bad luck
-
an unfortunate or disastrous event; calamity
Synonym Usage
See affliction.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of misfortune
Explanation
On a gloomy day, you may feel compelled to list your misfortunes: a broken umbrella, a broken heart, a broken toe. Misfortune means bad luck or the state of having bad luck. Break misfortune into its parts and you get mis- meaning bad and fortune meaning chance or luck. Sometimes it can feel like misfortune follows you. Picture it as a gloomy psychic named "Miss Fortune" who can only see the bad things in your future.
Vocabulary lists containing misfortune
Power Prefix: mis-
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"The Experiment" and "Superstition"
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Girl with a Pearl Earring
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the time of her misfortune, I was book editor of the Los Angeles Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Many note how much of the content has focused on the perpetrators - not the victims - of the crimes, and the inherent exploitation that comes from profiting from other people's misfortune.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
If you’ve ever had the misfortune of being assigned an inexperienced, overconfident boss, you know what happens next.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
The conflicts of interest and questionably moral options to bet on the misfortune of others has prompted many states to try and rein these platforms in.
From Salon ● May 24, 2026
Cutting your hair was believed to bring misfortune to you.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
Back pain, difficult childbirth, dental crowding and sinus infections are not random misfortunes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
Accidents and misfortunes, especially being captured in wartime, could lead to enslavement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Some observers attributed Milei’s misfortunes to his tough austerity program, which brought down inflation but so far has failed to attract investments and create new jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025
The human condition includes a vast array of unavoidable misfortunes.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2025
“But you remember me,” said the boy, the architect of all her misfortunes.
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
