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

Ill fated Yorick! that the gravest of thy brethren should be able to write that to the world, which stains thy face with crimson to copy, even in thy study.

From A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy by Sterne, Laurence

Reproach not misery.—The sons of Greece, Ill fated race! so oft besieg'd in vain, With false security beheld invasion.

From Dr. Johnson's Works: Life, Poems, and Tales, Volume 1 The Works of Samuel Johnson, Ll.D., in Nine Volumes by Johnson, Samuel

Related Words

• disastrous