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

One of the primary drivers of the MAGA movement was the fallout of America’s misadventure in Iraq. —Massimo Calabresi, Time, 26 June 2025

Israel has no appetite for repeating America’s or Russia’s misadventures based on old paradigms of warfare. —David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

The American public rightly has no appetite for another Middle East misadventure. —Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2025

The duo embark on a series of wild misadventures, with Turk’s extreme coaching tactics pushing Bob into increasingly unpredictable and outrageous situations. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 May 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