unfortunate

adjective un·for·tu·nate \ ˌən-ˈfȯrch-nət , -ˈfȯr-chə- \

Definition of unfortunate

1 a :not favored by fortune :unsuccessful, unlucky

an unfortunate young man

b :marked or accompanied by or resulting in misfortune

an unfortunate decision

2 a :infelicitous, unsuitable

an unfortunate choice of words

b :deplorable, regrettable

an unfortunate lack of taste

See unfortunate defined for English-language learners

See unfortunate defined for kids

Examples of unfortunate in a Sentence

She was unfortunate enough to have been chosen as an example.
an unfortunate chain of events
It's unfortunate that he couldn't be here for your birthday.
He has an unfortunate tendency to show up late.
an unfortunate choice of words

Recent Examples of unfortunate from the Web

Reid said the timing of Ware’s injury was unfortunate.

— terez a. paylor, kansascity, "Chiefs’ Spencer Ware likely out for season, Kareem Hunt to step in," 27 Aug. 2017
However], the misinformation that was put out during the campaign was unfortunate and did a disservice to the strategic planning of this union, a disservice to the contract negotiations and, most importantly, a disservice to the membership.

— jonathan handel, The Hollywood Reporter, "Gabrielle Carteris Talks SAG-AFTRA Election, Union Factions and "Misinformation"," 26 Aug. 2017
This is unfortunate, because the Sun disappearing during the middle of the day is truly a moving experience.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "So, you’re not seeing the eclipse today …," 21 Aug. 2017
Charlottesville’s tragedy irrefutably represents a bigger, more unfortunate picture.

— serena bancroft, Town & Country, "How University of Virginia Students Feel About the Violence on Campus," 17 Aug. 2017
Unfortunately Dredd underperformed in North America, a fact Bishop attributes to poor marketing and the unfortunate legacy of the earlier film.

— geek's guide to the galaxy, WIRED, "Let’s Be Real: Judge Dredd Deserves Another Movie," 5 Aug. 2017
Still, some audience members encounter Asperger's Are Us with some unfortunate assumptions.

— steve heisler, Chicago Reader, "Asperger’s Are Us don’t need to mine autism for comedy gold," 2 Aug. 2017
Here's hoping this was just an unfortunate, honest error on Athleta's part and not indicative of a bigger trend to come.

— devon ivie, Allure, "Athleta Apologizes for Plus-Size Model Controversy," 13 July 2017
Here's hoping this was just an unfortunate, honest error on Athleta's part and not indicative of a bigger trend to come.

— devon ivie, Glamour, "Athleta Speaks Out on Plus-Size Model Controversy, Promises to 'Do Better'," 13 July 2017

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

First Known Use of unfortunate

15th century

unfortunate Synonyms

Synonyms

calamitous, cataclysmal (or cataclysmic), catastrophic, damning, destructive, disastrous, fateful, ruinous, fatal

Antonyms

fortunate, happy, lucky

Related Words

apocalyptic (also apocalyptical); hapless, ill-fated, ill-starred, luckless; adverse, baleful, baneful, damaging, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial

Near Antonyms

fluky (also flukey), fortuitous, fortunate, happy, lucky, providential; auspicious, bright, encouraging, fair, golden, heartening, hopeful, optimistic, promising, propitious, rose-colored, rosy, upbeat

unfortunate

noun

Definition of unfortunate

:an unfortunate person

See unfortunate defined for English-language learners

Examples of unfortunate in a Sentence

a group of poor unfortunates

Recent Examples of unfortunate from the Web

But before that, Wilkerson would spend that year haranguing unfortunates in the Hollywood community who would go on to become targets of the blacklist, often losing their careers.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "The Hollywood Columnist Who Shaped Its Most Destructive Witch Hunt," 28 July 2017
While Gov. Sam Brownback and conservatives in the legislature blocked expansion of federal Medicaid to 150,000 Kansans, those unfortunates are not left to die on the streets.

— by charles hammer, kansascity.com, "Words of British officials after Irish Potato Famine are hauntingly familiar," 30 May 2017
Mr. Caws was taken by her kindness, even to those poor unfortunates who dared to come to the store looking for popular music.

— matthew schneier, New York Times, "For the Rock Star, Love Has Finally Landed," 2 Sep. 2016