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.

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ill-fated British  

adjective

1. doomed or unlucky

   an ill-fated marriage

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Etymology

Origin of ill-fated

First recorded in 1700–10

Explanation

If you have terrible luck, you're ill-fated. An ill-fated plan to drive across the country might end with your old car breaking down in Kansas. An ill-fated day is one you remember for years as extremely unlucky, and an ill-fated decision, in retrospect, was a really bad choice. An ill-fated attempt at tightrope walking results in falling off over and over again, and an ill-fated choice of lunch in a foreign country might end in food poisoning. Ill-fated is rooted in ill-, "badly," and fated, "be destined to happen," from the Latin fatum, "that which has been spoken."

Example Sentences

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 • Mar. 28, 2026

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 • Mar. 19, 2026

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

From Salon • Mar. 18, 2026

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 • Mar. 14, 2026

I remembered old footage of the ill-fated Hindenburg docking to the top of what looked like a radio tower—a structure not so different from this—and felt a cold wave of dread pass through me.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

Related Words

• disastrous