misadventure

noun

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Released on April 1, Enough recounts everything from Reid’s difficult childhood and relationship with her mother, to lonely nights in the back of her truck in Montana, to many misadventures in love. Maya Silver, Outside Online, 20 Apr. 2025 The plot centers a father and daughter who hit a unicorn with their car and the following misadventures that come when the father’s boss tries to use the unicorn’s magical properties for gain. Aamina Inayat Khan, StyleCaster, 13 Mar. 2025 Even the film’s choice of skirmish—an ostensibly simple operation, insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but still doomed to go lethally awry—feels like a commentary on the larger misadventure, a microcosmic exercise in futility. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025 Written by Cate and Blake Sennett, who also features in the ensemble, the film follows the Tipton family on a chaotic cross-country trip filled with misadventure, emotional blowups, and unexpected holiday magic — the kind that only happens when everything goes completely off the rails. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for misadventure

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misadventure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misadventure. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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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