unfortunate
Americanadjective
-
suffering from bad luck.
an unfortunate person.
- Synonyms:
- hapless, unsuccessful
-
unfavorable or inauspicious.
an unfortunate beginning.
-
regrettable or deplorable.
an unfortunate remark.
-
marked by or inviting misfortune.
an unfortunate development.
-
lamentable; sad.
the unfortunate death of her parents.
noun
adjective
-
causing or attended by misfortune
-
unlucky, unsuccessful, or unhappy
an unfortunate character
-
regrettable or unsuitable
an unfortunate speech
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of unfortunate
Explanation
Something unfortunate is something that you wished had not happened — like that unfortunate incident that got you suspended from school. Let's not bring that up. Unfortunate can also describe unlucky circumstances. A natural disaster like an earthquake or a tornado will always have unfortunate consequences. You can even use unfortunate as a noun to identify someone or something not favored by fortune — like the unfortunates whose lives were shattered by the earthquake.
Vocabulary lists containing unfortunate
Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
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Vocabulary from the Songs of "The Little Mermaid"
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Schooled
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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.
Four years prior that they were also slightly unfortunate to fall to Belgium at the same stage.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
Take Qatar's Assim Madibo, involved in an unfortunate incident which led to a broken leg for Canada's midfielder Ismael Kone.
From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026
“It is unfortunate that Lineage appears to be focused on pointing fingers rather than getting this community the swift clean-up and answers it deserves.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2026
She has lived through a significant chunk of American history, including a world war, the Great Depression, the civil-rights movement, and the unfortunate advent of pickleball.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
Before any of them could answer, they heard the unfortunate ring of the bell that signaled that they were indeed going to be late.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
