Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

luckless

American  
[luhk-lis] / ˈlʌk lɪs /

adjective

  1. 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

  1. 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


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.

See Examples For:

After his luckless crash with Piastri, in a multiple collision, in the earlier sprint race won by Verstappen, Norris was philosophical.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2025

Being luckless in love is commonplace these days.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 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

Gathering routine genre elements — the masked predator, the luckless teenage victims, the cabin-in-the-woods setting — Nash subordinates them all to a mood of stunning serenity.

From New York Times ● May 30, 2024

Readers of The Times in London were told that what was otherwise an “imposing ceremony” was “rendered ludicrous by some of the luckless sallies of that poor President Lincoln.”

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training