misadventure

noun

mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmi-səd-ˈven-chər How to pronounce misadventure (audio)

Example Sentences

His vacation turned into a series of misadventures. a string of financial misadventures eventually left him broke
Recent Examples on the Web Bell is best known for his role on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh, centered on the misadventures of two teenage stepbrothers with contrasting personalities. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2023 Ernie, meanwhile, has retained all the receipts from his misadventure – two nights at the Aloft, one-way tickets from Dulles to Cleveland, tortilla chips on Christmas night and various other delights. Susan Glaser, cleveland, 4 Jan. 2023 The hikers offered little explanation and no apology for their misadventure, and the hiker rescued at the top quickly asked for an attorney. Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2022 Dustin and Cindy Rocksvold — vacationers from California who had overlooked the requirement to obtain negative results before boarding — said in an interview that they were forced to fly back to Honolulu and get tested before returning, a $910 overnight misadventure. Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2021 Sale’s career became a series of misadventures worthy of a Three Stooges clip. Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Mar. 2023 Clooney is unarguably a talented actor, but not even Daniel Day-Lewis could've saved this hapless misadventure. Joe Tobal, EW.com, 7 Oct. 2022 Read more about Cohen’s Paxlovid misadventure. Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Jan. 2023 This is very much Putin’s misadventure. Andy Meek, BGR, 7 Mar. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misadventure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of misadventure was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near misadventure

Cite this Entry

“Misadventure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misadventure. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

misadventure

noun
mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmis-əd-ˈven-chər How to pronounce misadventure (audio)

Legal Definition

misadventure

noun
mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmi-səd-ˈven-chər How to pronounce misadventure (audio)
: an accident that causes serious injury or death to a person and that does not involve negligence, wrongful purpose, or unlawful conduct

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