luckless

American

[luhk-lis] / ˈlʌk lɪs /

adjective

having no luck; unfortunate; hapless; ill-fated; turning out or ending disastrously.

a luckless venture that ruined many of the investors.

luckless British

/ ˈlʌklɪs /

adjective

having no luck; unlucky

"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

Other Word Forms

lucklessly adverb
lucklessness noun

Etymology

Origin of luckless

First recorded in 1555–65; luck + -less

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.

"McLaren helped us today," he joked, referring to the opening lap crash in the sprint which saw Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg hit Piastri's McLaren and push him into the luckless Norris.

From Barron's • Oct. 18, 2025

Being luckless in love is commonplace these days.

From Salon • Sep. 14, 2025

Trailing by two sets to love in his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov, Sinner advanced when his luckless opponent retired with a pectoral injury.

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2025

Co-written by Gilliam and Michael Palin, with appearances by Palin as a luckless dweeb through the ages and John Cleese as a posh Robin Hood, “Time Bandits,” the film, was very much a Python work.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2024

It was obvious that he was going to have one of his rages—but Agravaine was one of those luckless intellectuals who are too proud to give in to brute force.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023