as in tragedy
bad luck or an example of this
through sheer misfortune our car got a flat tire and we were late for the ceremony our misfortunes of the last year included the loss of a beloved pet
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Recent Examples of misfortune
As the son falls out of an old relationship and into a new one, his moodiness acquires a new pathos—seemingly a symptom of the sheer pain of living rather than a response to any single misfortune.
—
Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
And in an essay published over the weekend, another emergency physician says that the show’s decision to focus on the main character’s anguish over Covid paints the pandemic as a sad misfortune, rather than a moral failure.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 21 Jan. 2026
Embodying a character as evil as Stephen has made the far more relaxed White—whose real-life mother, Katey Sagal, plays his character’s troubled mother on the series—relish the character’s small misfortunes.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
The 26-year-old pop star Audrey Hobert kicked off her first major solo tour in December with a brief stroke of misfortune.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misfortune
Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
And in an essay published over the weekend, another emergency physician says that the show’s decision to focus on the main character’s anguish over Covid paints the pandemic as a sad misfortune, rather than a moral failure.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 21 Jan. 2026
Embodying a character as evil as Stephen has made the far more relaxed White—whose real-life mother, Katey Sagal, plays his character’s troubled mother on the series—relish the character’s small misfortunes.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
The 26-year-old pop star Audrey Hobert kicked off her first major solo tour in December with a brief stroke of misfortune.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misfortune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfortune
Noun
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The tragedy marked the second fatal incident involving North Texas students during the winter storm.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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The letters had been dispatched from Cartagena de Indias, the rich port city on the coast of what is now Colombia, just days after what appeared to have been a horrific tragedy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The protests began in late December amid widespread anger over economic hardship, political repression and corruption, according to reports.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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In 2024, 35% of hardship distributions were used to avoid a home foreclosure or eviction, which remains the most common reason for this type of withdrawal, according to Vanguard.—
Sarah Agostino,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This week’s massive winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow on at least 19 states, including those like Texas and Tennessee that are less prepared to deal with the miseries of winter weather.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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But apartheid brought immense unhappiness and misery to white South Africans, too.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfortune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfortune. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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