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definitions

unlucky

[ uhn-luhk-ee ]
/ ʌnˈlʌk i /
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adjective, un·luck·i·er, un·luck·i·est.

(of a person) not lucky; lacking good fortune; ill-fated.
(of an event or circumstance) inauspicious or characterized by misfortune; ominous.

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RELATED WORDS

miserable, hapless, tragic, unhappy, luckless, afflicted, black, calamitous, cursed, dire, disastrous, ill-fated, inauspicious, ominous, star-crossed, unfavorable, unsuccessful, untimely, untoward, cataclysmic

Nearby words

  1. unlovable,
  2. unloved,
  3. unlovely,
  4. unloving,
  5. unluckily,
  6. unmade,
  7. unmake,
  8. unman,
  9. unmanageable,
  10. unmanly

Origin of unlucky

First recorded in 1520–30; un-1 + lucky1
Related formsun·luck·i·ly, adverbun·luck·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unlucky

British Dictionary definitions for unlucky

unlucky

/ (ʌnˈlʌkɪ) /

adjective

characterized by misfortune or failurean unlucky person; an unlucky chance
ill-omened; inauspiciousan unlucky date
regrettable; disappointing
British dialect causing trouble; mischievous
Derived Formsunluckily, adverbunluckiness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for unlucky

unlucky

adj.

1520s, "marked by misfortune or failure," from un- (1) "not" + lucky. Cf. West Frisian unlokkich, Mliddle Low German unluckich. Sense of "boding ill" is recorded from 1540s; that of "having bad luck" is from 1550s; that of "bringing bad luck" is from 1580s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper