unfortunately

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

Definition of unfortunately

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

The marriage turned out unfortunately.

2 :it is unfortunate

unfortunately for him your letter has let the cat out of the bag
—G. B. Shaw

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

Unfortunately, Josh started treatment last September for yet another tumor in his pelvis.

— Southern Living, "Alabama Man Celebrates 10th Anniversary of His Cancer Diagnosis with Giant Party," 28 Aug. 2017
Unfortunately their findings were even more significant than the Norwegian trial.

— james hamblin, The Atlantic, "Vitamin B6 and B12 Supplements Appear to Cause Cancer in Men," 25 Aug. 2017
And unfortunately, there’s not yet a huge pool of female-friendly backers to turn to.

— belisa silva, Harper's BAZAAR, "I Was Told I Was Too Pretty to Be a CEO," 18 Aug. 2017
Unfortunately, Portland State University physics professor Jack Straton knows this all too well.

— eileen reslen, Country Living, "Want to See the Solar Eclipse? Here's Where the Weather Will Be Best," 17 Aug. 2017
Unfortunately, the death toll in Sierra Leone is likely to continue to rise.

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "Death Toll Nears 300 Following Deadly Sierra Leone Mudslide," 15 Aug. 2017
Unfortunately, there are seemingly harmless things all over your home that have the potential to be seriously dangerous.

— beth anne macaluso, Redbook, "16 Common Household Items That Could Kill You," 9 Aug. 2017
Unfortunately, the umbra is small, no more than a hundred miles in diameter.

— michael e. bakich, Discover Magazine, "Solar Eclipse Geometry," 7 Aug. 2017
Unfortunately, Qatar’s duplicitous behavior runs even deeper.

— matthew rj brodsky, National Review, "Qatar’s Dirty Hands," 3 Aug. 2017

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.