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

Svetnoy was the first crew member of the ill-fated western to bring a lawsuit against the producers, alleging they were negligent in Hutchins’ October 2021 death.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

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

From Salon • Mar. 18, 2026

Frank's shortcomings were laid bare during his ill-fated eight-month reign in charge - but he could point to other factors that have led Spurs to the dark place they currently occupy as mitigating circumstances.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Now I have come to believe that the whole affair neither began with that ill-fated table read nor ended with my buried feelings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

They had come to inspect the old Deutsches Stadion, built in 1916 for the ill-fated Olympic Games of that year.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• disastrous