misadventure

noun

mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmi-səd-ˈven-chər 

: misfortune, mishap

Synonyms of misadventure

• misfortune
• tragedy

Examples of misadventure in a Sentence

His vacation turned into a series of misadventures.

a string of financial misadventures eventually left him broke

Recent Examples on the Web

Ocean Vashti Jude — A writer and director focused on dramas about rowdy characters, people on the downside of advantage, and the misadventures of having to work at life, Ocean is expanding into television directing. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 23 June 2026

While many of the fictional locations resist definitive identification, a general consensus has been reached on the probable real-world geography of Odysseus’s many misadventures. — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 June 2026

Finlay's misadventures are also set to hit the screen. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026

Audiences fell in love with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt’s pitch-perfect chemistry as Paul and Jamie Buchman, a married couple whose everyday misadventures felt hilariously — sometimes painfully — relatable. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mesaventure, from Anglo-French, from mesavenir to turn out badly, from mes- mis- + avenir to happen, from Latin advenire — more at adventure

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing misadventure

• death by misadventure

Rhymes for misadventure

• peradventure
• adventure
• debenture
• indenture
• bencher
• denture
• quencher
• trencher
• venture

Kids Definition

misadventure

noun

mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmis-əd-ˈven-chər 

: misfortune sense 2

Legal Definition

misadventure

noun

mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmi-səd-ˈven-chər 

: an accident that causes serious injury or death to a person and that does not involve negligence, wrongful purpose, or unlawful conduct