luckless

American

[luhk-lis] / ˈlʌk lɪs /

adjective

having no luck; unfortunate; hapless; ill-fated; turning out or ending disastrously.

a luckless venture that ruined many of the investors.

luckless British

/ ˈlʌklɪs /

adjective

having no luck; unlucky

"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 luckless

First recorded in 1555–65; luck + -less

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:

luckless

Subtitled “An Almost History of America” and arriving on the eve of the nation’s semiquincentennial, this seven-episode sketch comedy comes from Larry David, television’s great luckless crank, and Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

"McLaren helped us today," he joked, referring to the opening lap crash in the sprint which saw Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg hit Piastri's McLaren and push him into the luckless Norris.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2025

Being luckless in love is commonplace these days.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2025

Goals from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol help Manchester City brush aside a luckless Nottingham Forest to reach a third successive FA Cup final.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2025

I decided one day in the middle of an algebraic equation to change my luckless life by changing my hands.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023