unlucky
Americanadjective
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(of a person) not lucky; lacking good fortune; ill-fated.
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(of an event or circumstance) inauspicious or characterized by misfortune; ominous.
adjective
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characterized by misfortune or failure
an unlucky person
an unlucky chance
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ill-omened; inauspicious
an unlucky date
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regrettable; disappointing
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dialect causing trouble; mischievous
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unlucky
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.
See Examples For:
He presents himself as unlucky in relationships and while interviewing her, seems to develop genuine feelings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
An investor with truly unlucky timing could have sat tight for decades and earned less than ultrasafe bonds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Your friend was unlucky that she took a tumble on those basement stairs.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Lando Norris says he was "insanely unlucky" to lose what seemed like a certain win in the Spanish Grand Prix because of the timing of a virtual safety car.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
“Some unlucky sod who happened to be on the road at the wrong time,” Kote said dismissively.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
"We couldn't have been unluckier than that. This is not what we were expecting," said Harmanpreet.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2023
"Is there anyone unluckier than me?" said Xiaohongshu user "sanmingliu", who posted photos of her shipping container room.
From Reuters ● Nov. 2, 2022
But there have been even unluckier players than Trout.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 5, 2020
We saw that, though we were born in far unluckier places, we have all the same talents as our Western-born peers.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2019
Or was it, unluckier even than Magna Charta, clipt by sacrilegious Tailors?
From The French Revolution by Thomas Carlyle
The first thing that had to go right was an unbelievable stroke of luck on the unluckiest night of Tatum’s life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
They have been called “the unluckiest generation” in U.S. history.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 10, 2026
He added: “She was the unluckiest person I’d ever heard of.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
A couple who got married in a cemetery on what is supposedly the unluckiest day of the year have said the day was "pretty perfect".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024
Maybe it hit the floor and rolled into another crack—a crack in the living room floor—which would make Genie the unluckiest kid in the world.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
