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
Derived 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.
Yet it is too simplistic to say that Powell was simply very unlucky.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
The 6-foot-7 forward hadn’t played more than 66 games in a season during his first three years in the NBA, often beset by nagging or unlucky injuries.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
He was inches from making birdie in the shootout, unlucky that his ball did not tumble down the slope to the hole-side in the same way as McIlroy's approach managed to do.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
He stamps his feet, whirls his arms and screams at whichever referee is unlucky enough to be within earshot.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Over and over, thinking of the unlucky pair of refugees who were supposed to be ferried back to England on my return trip.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
