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Synonyms

unlucky

American  
[uhn-luhk-ee] / ʌnˈlʌk i /

adjective

unluckier, unluckiest

  1. (of a person) not lucky; lacking good fortune; ill-fated.

  2. (of an event or circumstance) inauspicious or characterized by misfortune; ominous.

unlucky British  
/ ʌnˈlʌkɪ /

adjective

  1. characterized by misfortune or failure

    an unlucky person

    an unlucky chance

  2. ill-omened; inauspicious

    an unlucky date

  3. regrettable; disappointing

  4. dialect causing trouble; mischievous

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of unlucky

First recorded in 1520–30; un- 1 + lucky 1

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.

Unlucky Torino centre-back Coco saw the ball come off him and ricochet into the net in the 74th minute when his teammate Luis Asue attempted to clear a free-kick.

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

Appeared in the December 27, 2025, print edition as 'At 65, an Unlucky Job Seeker Faces a Bruising Reality'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

He is charting his latest cancer journey in a series of upbeat films under the tongue-in-cheek banner 3rd Time Unlucky.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2023

Unlucky travelers can find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, like the tourists in the Gobi Desert, some of whom were bused 18 hours to finish their quarantine in another city.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2021

“Yes, it is annoying, that. Unlucky for your theory, and extremely lucky for our Italian friend that M. Ratchett’s valet should have had the toothache.”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

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.