misfortune

noun mis·for·tune \ ˌmis-ˈfȯr-chən \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

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Examples: misfortune in a Sentence

Definition of misfortune

1 a : an event or conjunction of events that causes an unfortunate or distressing result : bad luck

by misfortune he fell into bad company

had the misfortune to break his leg

b : an unhappy situation

always ready to help people in misfortune

2 : a distressing or unfortunate incident or event

misfortunes never come singly

See misfortune defined for English-language learners

See misfortune defined for kids

Examples of misfortune in a Sentence

a victim of economic misfortune
She endured her misfortune without complaint.
It was my misfortune to be chosen first.
Her injury was a great misfortune.
He blamed the party's misfortunes on poor leadership.

Recent Examples of misfortune from the Web

Josh Hader, playing the role of Joe Mentalino's Mike Starr in a recreation of the movie's most iconic scene, has the misfortune of needing a ride to the bullpen.

— jr radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers tackle 'Dumb and Dumber' in latest brilliant video recreation," 7 June 2018
Antigun states have tried to eliminate guns through frivolous lawsuits and to harass gun owners from other states who have the misfortune of traveling through them.

— WSJ, "Constitution Protects Arms, Not Gambling," 25 May 2018
His transfer is a sensible move for a talented passer who had the misfortune of enrolling at an ACC powerhouse one year before an even more talented one.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "The Future of College Football's Five-Star QBs Turned Transfers," 24 May 2018
While there is no evidence that Mueller is interested in the lobbying effort, Nader's detention kicked off a spiral of misfortune for the two partners.

— desmond butler and tom lobianco, chicagotribune.com, "AP: Emails reveal secret lobbying effort to alter U.S. policy in Middle East," 21 May 2018
The Raptors keep having the misfortune of seeing James in the N.B.A. playoffs.

— scott cacciola, New York Times, "This Was Supposed to Be the Raptors’ Year. What Now?," 8 May 2018
First, there is redshirt senior Devin Melendez, who had the misfortune of coming to Oregon the same year as Carew.

— tyson alger, OregonLive.com, "Oregon Ducks 2018 spring rewind: Special teams," 7 May 2018
The yearly death toll for these crashes is approximately 33, but only a quarter of these happen inside the ambulance—the balance is borne by people who have the misfortune of being in the vehicle’s way.

— cecil adams, Chicago Reader, "How often do emergency vehicles get into car accidents?," 4 May 2018
The ball had the severe misfortune of catching the barrel of Soler's bat.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "Jorge Soler obliterated a baseball. MLB hasn't seen this sort of turnaround in a while | The Kansas City Star," 3 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'misfortune.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of misfortune

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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misfortune Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of misfortune

misfortune, mischance, adversity, mishap mean adverse fortune or an instance of this. misfortune may apply to either the incident or conjunction of events that is the cause of an unhappy change of fortune or to the ensuing state of distress.

- never lost hope even in the depths of misfortune

mischance applies especially to a situation involving no more than slight inconvenience or minor annoyance.

- took the wrong road by mischance

adversity applies to a state of grave or persistent misfortune.

- had never experienced great adversity

mishap applies to an often trivial instance of bad luck.

- the usual mishaps of a family vacation

MISFORTUNE Defined for English Language Learners

misfortune

noun

Definition of misfortune for English Language Learners

: bad luck
: an unlucky condition or event

MISFORTUNE Defined for Kids

misfortune

noun mis·for·tune \ mis-ˈfȯr-chən \

Definition of misfortune for Students

1 : bad luck

2 : an unfortunate situation or event

Learn More about misfortune

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for misfortune Spanish Central: Translation of misfortune Nglish: Translation of misfortune for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of misfortune for Arabic speakers

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misfortune

Definition of misfortune

Examples of misfortune in a Sentence

Recent Examples of misfortune from the Web

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MISFORTUNE Defined for English Language Learners

misfortune

Definition of misfortune for English Language Learners

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misfortune

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