unfortunately

adverb un·for·tu·nate·ly \ ˌən-ˈfȯrch-nət-lē , -ˈfȯr-chə- \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Examples: unfortunately in a Sentence

1 : it is unfortunate

Unfortunately, in the intervening years, time has not stood still for the global environment.
—Al Gore

A young man can work at excessive speed with no ill effects, but youth is unfortunately not a permanent condition of life.
—F. Scott Fitzgerald

The past couple years have ended unfortunately for us, and we're using it as motivation.
—James Moyers

2 : in a regrettable, unlucky, or unsuitable manner : in an unfortunate manner

"Have you an agreeable neighbourhood here? Are the Middletons pleasant people?" "No, not all," answered Marianne; "we could not be more unfortunately situated."
—Jane Austen

See unfortunately defined for English-language learners

Examples of unfortunately in a Sentence

Our awards program evaluates wine lists, not restaurants as a whole. While we assume the level of food and service will be commensurate with the quality of the wine lists submitted by award winners, this unfortunately is not always true. —Wine Spectator, 31 Aug. 2008
Coral reefs provide essential goods and services to maritime tropical nations and are the most diverse marine ecosystems on the planet. Unfortunately, reefs are seriously declining because of global warming. —Andrea G. Grottoli et al., Nature, 27 Apr. 2006
There are many books announcing a global economic transformation and suggesting that governments can be reengineered to adapt to it in much the same way as corporations. … Unfortunately the problems of globalization are more intractable than those of corporate life. States cannot be phased out like bankrupt firms, and large shifts in wealth and power tend to be fiercely contested. —John Gray, New York Review of Books, 11 Aug. 2005
Doctors have long believed that children experience pain differently than adults. Unfortunately, most doctors thought kids felt pain less than grownups do, and didn't retain memory of it. As late as the 1970s, infants underwent major surgery without anesthetics. … This barbaric notion was finally put to rest in the 1980s … —Michael D. Lemonick, Time, 28 Feb. 2005
In the aftermath of the Revolution, Americans desperately needed some non-British heroes. Columbus filled the bill even though no one knew much about him until novelist Washington Irving visited Spain, found a rich lode of source materials and produced a widely read biography. Unfortunately, Irving mixed fiction with fact, and one of his most graphic scenes, set in Salamanca, was wildly imaginative. —Owen Gingerich, Scientific American, November 1992

Recent Examples of unfortunately from the Web

Children who have special needs may require tailored learning environments to thrive, and unfortunately, many traditional public schools simply don’t have the resources or expertise to provide these environments.

— damar services, Indianapolis Star, "A peek inside Indiana’s first charter school specializing in serving students with special needs," 10 July 2018
Tickets were sold out online before each nightly showing, with individuals having to be unfortunately turned away at times due to lack of seating.

— danny atkinson, Courant Community, "Epoch Arts Opens Summer Season," 2 July 2018
Wearing a costume is also prohibited, unfortunately (save the left shark onesie for another time), as are goofy facial expressions.

— bridget hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, "There's a New Reason to Smile in Your Passport Photo," 28 June 2018
Sophie, Countess of Wessex unfortunately had an awkward encounter with a bug during her ride to the Royal Ascot with Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and her husband Prince Edward (the Queen's youngest child).

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Countess Sophie Had an Awkward Moment with a Bug While Riding with Meghan Markle To the Royal Ascot," 21 June 2018
But unfortunately, false identifications are not rare.

— Essence.com, "Black Man Walking His Dogs Becomes Suspect In Manhunt After Nosy Neighbor Sends His Photo To Police," 6 June 2018
Courtesy Bec Brittain While Roll & Hill unfortunately had to sit this one out, there was still plenty of marvelous new lighting to ogle.

— jenny xie, Curbed, "All the NYCxDesign 2018 highlights you should know," 30 May 2018
This is an unfortunately persistent stretch of very high heat and humidity.

— ian livingston, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Intense heat this weekend and into early week," 30 June 2018
Perhaps unfortunately, desire doesn’t really work like that.

— michelle weber, Longreads, "Can the Political Override the Personal?," 29 June 2018

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