wanchancy

British

/ wɒnˈtʃænsɪ /

adjective

unlucky
dangerous; risky
uncanny; eerie

"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

Etymology

Origin of wanchancy

C18: from wanchance ill luck, from wan- prefix expressing negation or privation + _chance

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.

"Indeed, Robin, I'll be better advised before I gie it back to you; it is a wanchancy weapon in a Highlandman's hand, and I am thinking you will be about some barns-breaking."

From Project Gutenberg

And then the ae boat set aff for North Berwick, an’ the tither lay whaur it was and watched the wanchancy thing on the brae-side.

From Project Gutenberg

An’ that wanchancy annual sang I ne’er can send them!”

From Project Gutenberg

Lord save us a’l but it’s an unco life to be a sailor—a cauld, wanchancy life.

From Project Gutenberg

And then the ae boat set aff for North Berwick, an' the tither lay whaur it was and watched the wanchancy thing on the braeside.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023