unfortunate

[uhn-fawr-chuh-nit]

adjective

1. suffering from bad luck.

   an unfortunate person.

   Synonyms: hapless, unsuccessful

2. unfavorable or inauspicious.

   an unfortunate beginning.

3. regrettable or deplorable.

   an unfortunate remark.

4. marked by or inviting misfortune.

   an unfortunate development.

5. lamentable; sad.

   the unfortunate death of her parents.

noun

1. an unfortunate person.

unfortunate

/ ʌnˈfɔːtʃənɪt /

adjective

1. causing or attended by misfortune

2. unlucky, unsuccessful, or unhappy

   an unfortunate character

3. regrettable or unsuitable

   an unfortunate speech

noun

1. an unlucky person

Other Word Forms

• unfortunateness noun
• unfortunately adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unfortunate¹

First recorded in 1520–30; un- ¹ + fortunate

Example Sentences

Short and stout, he was unprepossessing and—especially unfortunate for a connoisseur of visual art—would soon lose the use of one eye in a car accident.

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In this case, it is unfortunate, for whatever you might think of the design that Mr. Ando made 25 years ago, it had the underrated merit of being a good neighbor.

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But threats are “an unfortunate reality of my world,” he explained.

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“This appears to be an unfortunate medical episode, and our thoughts go out the family,” Sutter wrote.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The cause of the fire could very well turn out to be something unfortunate and distinctly nonpolitical.

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Related Words

• adverse 
• damaging 
• deplorable 
• disastrous 
• inappropriate 
• inauspicious 
• lamentable 
• regrettable 
• unlucky 
• untoward