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
- unfortunately adverb
- unfortunateness noun
Etymology
Origin of unfortunate
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.
For Slot, who has regularly insisted that Liverpool have been unfortunate on many an occasion this season, there was an acceptable that his side had finally got the rub of the green.
From BBC
"It's really unfortunate that this gas price shock came now, exactly at that point where you sort of exited coal but you don't quite have enough renewables yet."
From Barron's
However, the clank of granite went against them in the seventh, an unfortunate bounce leaving Canada the chance of three, which they gladly took.
From BBC
"It's unfortunate the route Mike has taken, you only have to look at the UUP's social media to know this is more about inter-unionist rivalry - that's disgraceful, to turn their head against the trans community."
From BBC
“They got tangled up there and fell on the ground. It’s just an unfortunate play.”
From Los Angeles Times
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.
