misadventure

noun

mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmi-səd-ˈven-chər 

: misfortune, mishap

Synonyms

• 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

But the operation was not without misadventure against the Ravens, with kicker Joshua Karty missing a field goal off the right upright and long snapper Alex Ward delivering a high snap on the team’s second attempt. —Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025

Will MacKenzie, Simon Cooper, Neil Sutherland, and Jay Cartwright are set for another round of misadventures. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025

His misadventure begins, as so many of Robinson’s sketches do, with a humiliation. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025

In this case, the golden retriever's misadventure highlighted the gap between enthusiasm and execution, especially in the demanding work of herding livestock. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025

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