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

Apart from the moral morass and human cost of America’s foreign military misadventures, there is the lasting economic damage of the wars of which Cheney was such an avid advocate. —Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025

Along the way, their misadventures collide with a struggling tech company whose employees face layoffs amid the rise of artificial intelligence. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025

There are plenty of reasons to dislike The Passion of the Christ within the film itself without even touching on the off-screen opinions and misadventures of director Mel Gibson. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025

Now, the film is a downright classic, centering on three haggard witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) who go on a hilarious misadventure while trying to remain young forever. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 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