misadventure
Americannoun
noun
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an unlucky event; misfortune
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law accidental death not due to crime or negligence
Etymology
Origin of misadventure
1250–1300; mis- 1 + adventure; replacing Middle English mesaventure < Old French
Explanation
Ever climb a ladder and then, when you’re at the top, the ladder tips over, leaving you stranded up there? That’s the start of a misadventure, an unfortunate situation that happens because of bad luck. Kids are always having misadventures. Falling into a pit of mud, getting stuck between slats in a fence, a monkey stealing the shirt off your back: all classic misadventures. The word is rooted in the French word mesaventure, which translates to “turn out badly.” Some misadventures are only embarrassing, while others are exhausting and sad. The worst part? You can’t prevent a misadventure, because they happen by chance.
Vocabulary lists containing misadventure
Power Prefix: mis-
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Selected Short Stories of H.G. Wells
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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.
The 18th century teemed with picaresque tales of comic misadventure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
Nine, to be specific, after Mike Tomlin exited the Pittsburgh Steelers Tuesday after 19 seasons—the last a stirring but doomed misadventure with enigmatic Malibu life guru Aaron Rodgers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
A coroner's office in Australia had recorded a conclusion of "misadventure", but coroner John Gittens said he felt a conclusion of "accident" was more appropriate under UK coroner's law.
From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025
Unforced but ever-present in Reichardt’s mise-en-scène, they remind us that this bored aesthete’s misadventure is an especially empty way to buck conformity.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025
Downstairs at Snowberger’s, my daddy deals with death by misadventure, illness, and natural causes galore.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
