un·for·tu·nate
ˌən-ˈfȯrch-nət,
-ˈfȯr-chə-
1
a
: not favored by fortune : unsuccessful, unlucky
an unfortunate young man
b
: marked or accompanied by or resulting in misfortune
an unfortunate decision
2
a
: infelicitous, unsuitable
an unfortunate choice of words
b
: deplorable, regrettable
an unfortunate lack of taste
: an unfortunate person
Synonyms
Examples of unfortunate in a Sentence
Adjective
She was unfortunate enough to have been chosen as an example.
an unfortunate chain of events
It's unfortunate that he couldn't be here for your birthday.
He has an unfortunate tendency to show up late.
an unfortunate choice of words
Noun
a group of poor unfortunates
Recent Examples on the Web
Rafael Perez, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
But, at times, they can be spotted when the massive voids pull in matter from unfortunate nearby objects.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
In Southern California, the unfortunate amalgamation of soaring housing prices, stagnant household incomes and high mortgage interest rates have created the most unaffordable housing market in recent years.
—Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Pelicans received unfortunate news Wednesday when an MRI revealed that 6-foot-6, 284-pound forward Zion Williamson suffered a left hamstring strain in Tuesday’s 110-106 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the play-in tournament.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024
The confluence of Colorado’s libertarian take on helmets and lane filtering may prove fatal for some unfortunate riders.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2024
No memory, no shadow of the unfortunate interlude fell between them.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
That unfortunate misstep of a modern-day county list song nevertheless got the crowd pumped for an energetic evening.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2024
Both were again issues in Wednesday night’s 111-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at Kaseya Center, as the Heat remains on the unfortunate track to be in the NBA’s play-in tournament for the second straight season.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2023
The true unfortunates, though, are the people who were injured or died in these incidents and who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
—Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 8 July 2023
Of the remaining unfortunates, those who have dodged the plague appear likely to end up swinging from a noose — many is the tree, bridge and crumbling building that bears such strange fruit.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 18 Feb. 2023
The unfortunate would have been shipped off to a slow death among millions of other victims of Soviet purges.
—Sam Kiley, CNN, 30 Oct. 2021
One unfortunate fled to China, only to be arrested and sent home, whereupon he was promptly dispatched to a camp.
—The Economist, 13 Mar. 2021
The film's title is a shape representing the meeting point between the physical world and the one beyond; hairy, patient moths seem to hold the souls of some unfortunates, though why some people meet this fate is unclear.
—John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 July 2019
Our family name, Ramirez, is the same name of these unfortunates who did not make it across the river.
—Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 30 June 2019
But that gentle slope has been known to cause strollers and wheelchairs to roll off as well, not to mention the intoxicated, the disoriented, wrestlers, and other unfortunates.
—William Finnegan, The New Yorker, 2 July 2018
Adjective
Leaving it up to individual states has the unfortunate side-effect of effectively guaranteeing an asymmetric distribution of fundamental rights in the US, which is something that the Constitution is supposed to protect us from.
—Rafael Perez, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
But, at times, they can be spotted when the massive voids pull in matter from unfortunate nearby objects.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
In Southern California, the unfortunate amalgamation of soaring housing prices, stagnant household incomes and high mortgage interest rates have created the most unaffordable housing market in recent years.
—Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Pelicans received unfortunate news Wednesday when an MRI revealed that 6-foot-6, 284-pound forward Zion Williamson suffered a left hamstring strain in Tuesday’s 110-106 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the play-in tournament.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024
The confluence of Colorado’s libertarian take on helmets and lane filtering may prove fatal for some unfortunate riders.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2024
No memory, no shadow of the unfortunate interlude fell between them.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
That unfortunate misstep of a modern-day county list song nevertheless got the crowd pumped for an energetic evening.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2024
Both were again issues in Wednesday night’s 111-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at Kaseya Center, as the Heat remains on the unfortunate track to be in the NBA’s play-in tournament for the second straight season.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
The two unfortunates who’ve been cast as his keepers are his husband, Martin (Ben Whishaw), and Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), with whom Tomas strikes up a romance.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2023
The true unfortunates, though, are the people who were injured or died in these incidents and who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
—Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 8 July 2023
Of the remaining unfortunates, those who have dodged the plague appear likely to end up swinging from a noose — many is the tree, bridge and crumbling building that bears such strange fruit.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 18 Feb. 2023
The unfortunate would have been shipped off to a slow death among millions of other victims of Soviet purges.
—Sam Kiley, CNN, 30 Oct. 2021
One unfortunate fled to China, only to be arrested and sent home, whereupon he was promptly dispatched to a camp.
—The Economist, 13 Mar. 2021
The film's title is a shape representing the meeting point between the physical world and the one beyond; hairy, patient moths seem to hold the souls of some unfortunates, though why some people meet this fate is unclear.
—John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 July 2019
Our family name, Ramirez, is the same name of these unfortunates who did not make it across the river.
—Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 30 June 2019
But that gentle slope has been known to cause strollers and wheelchairs to roll off as well, not to mention the intoxicated, the disoriented, wrestlers, and other unfortunates.
—William Finnegan, The New Yorker, 2 July 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unfortunate.' 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 unfortunate
Cite this Entry
“Unfortunate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfortunate. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unfortunate
1 of 2 adjective
un·for·tu·nate
ˌən-ˈfȯrch-(ə-)nət
1
a
: not fortunate : unlucky
b
: showing, accompanied by, or resulting in misfortune
an unfortunate experience
unfortunate investments
2
a
: unsuitable, infelicitous
an unfortunate choice of words
b
: deplorable sense 1
an unfortunate lack of taste
unfortunately
adverb
unfortunate
2 of 2 noun
: an unfortunate person
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