misfortune
noun
mis·for·tune
ˌmis-ˈfȯr-chən 
1
a
: an event or conjunction of events that causes an unfortunate or distressing result : bad luck
by misfortune he fell into bad company
had the misfortune to break his leg
b
: an unhappy situation
always ready to help people in misfortune
2
: a distressing or unfortunate incident or event
misfortunes never come singly
Synonyms
Examples of misfortune in a Sentence
a victim of economic misfortune
She endured her misfortune without complaint.
It was my misfortune to be chosen first.
Her injury was a great misfortune.
He blamed the party's misfortunes on poor leadership.
Recent Examples on the Web
What’s more, Presence imbues the song with a story centered around death, misfortune, and perhaps even malediction.
—
Spin Contributor, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024
One version of the tale said any man who refused a Leap Day proposal would face bad luck and misfortune.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024
When William and Kate had the audacity to visit a farm store, in Windsor, and the misfortune to be filmed in the act, the visual testimony was swiftly picked apart.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
In fact, Zuckerberg reportedly came by Launchpad due to the misfortunes of one of those oligarchs.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
Essentially, this rhetoric benefits from the misfortunes of the population.
—Camille Fumard, Fortune Europe, 22 Feb. 2024
All that is playing into the hands of Tesla, which has found a way to rake in billions through the misfortunes of other companies.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 12 Feb. 2024
As misfortune would have it, Shiffrin’s boyfriend Aleksander Aamodt Kilde also suffered a serious incident on the slopes just a few weeks before her own accident.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
But the industry’s misfortune has been kind to Royalty Pharma, a company that trades short-term cash for a cut of biotech’s future revenue.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 16 Feb. 2024
Spin Contributor, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024
One version of the tale said any man who refused a Leap Day proposal would face bad luck and misfortune.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024
When William and Kate had the audacity to visit a farm store, in Windsor, and the misfortune to be filmed in the act, the visual testimony was swiftly picked apart.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
In fact, Zuckerberg reportedly came by Launchpad due to the misfortunes of one of those oligarchs.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
Essentially, this rhetoric benefits from the misfortunes of the population.
—Camille Fumard, Fortune Europe, 22 Feb. 2024
All that is playing into the hands of Tesla, which has found a way to rake in billions through the misfortunes of other companies.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 12 Feb. 2024
As misfortune would have it, Shiffrin’s boyfriend Aleksander Aamodt Kilde also suffered a serious incident on the slopes just a few weeks before her own accident.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
But the industry’s misfortune has been kind to Royalty Pharma, a company that trades short-term cash for a cut of biotech’s future revenue.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 16 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misfortune.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near misfortune
Cite this Entry
“Misfortune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misfortune. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misfortune
noun
mis·for·tune
(ˈ)mis-ˈfȯr-chən
1
: bad luck especially for a long period of time
2
: an unfortunate condition or event : disaster
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