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."

Related Words

• disastrous