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Synonyms

ill-fated

American  
[il-fey-tid] / ˈɪlˈfeɪ tɪd /

adjective

  1. destined, as though by fate, to an unhappy or unfortunate end.

    an ill-fated voyage.
    Synonyms:
    ill-starred, doomed, cursed, accursed

  2. bringing bad fortune.

ill-fated British  

adjective

  1. doomed or unlucky

    an ill-fated marriage
"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

Etymology

Origin of ill-fated

First recorded in 1700–10

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.

Police officers are analysing skid marks on Jupiter Island's 30mph South Beach Road to gauge the speed of the 82-time tour winner's car while attempting his ill-fated overtake manoeuvre.

From BBC

October’s windfall also proved fleeting: In January, one of the Hyperliquid accounts lost more than $128 million on an ill-fated bet that ether would rise.

From The Wall Street Journal

Based on the real, ill-fated 1970 lunar mission, Ron Howard’s “Apollo 13” turns a failed trip to the moon into a slow-building fight to get home.

From Los Angeles Times

The United States is a lot more than deadly weaponry and ill-fated military interventions.

From Salon

Years of mismanagement and ill-fated transfers have left Spurs with a jumbled squad and a hair trigger for firing coaches.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.