unfortunately

American  

[uhn-fawr-chuh-nit-lee] / ʌnˈfɔr tʃə nɪt li /

adverb

1. it is unfortunate that.

   Unfortunately, our flight was delayed for several hours.

2. in a way or to a degree that is unfortunate or unlucky.

   The project was unfortunately placed on hold until further notice.

3. in a way that is regrettable or unsuitable to the situation.

   Thank you for your comment, and I apologize for my unfortunately worded statement.

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unfortunately British  

/ ʌnˈfɔːtʃənɪtlɪ /

adverb

1. (sentence modifier) it is regrettable that; unluckily

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Etymology

Origin of unfortunately

First recorded in 1540–50; unfortunate ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

It was just the 20th anniversary of “The Family Stone” and we unfortunately lost the incomparable Diane Keaton this past year, another groundbreaking comedian.

From Los Angeles Times

"Too many clear chances and all the people up front... unfortunately we could not score. Scoring goals is part of doing your job."

From BBC

"The players gave everything. We fought to the end but unfortunately it was not enough."

From Barron's

"Yeah, definitely, no doubt about that, plus he also knows what good looks like and also knows how unfortunately it can take time to get up to where good should look like," he said.

From Barron's

"To all my fans in Adelaide, unfortunately I'm not quite physically ready to compete in the Adelaide International next week," Djokovic said on Instagram.

From Barron's

Related Words

• sadly