unlucky

play

adjective un·lucky \ˌən-ˈlə-kē\

Definition of unlucky

1 : marked by adversity or failure an unlucky year
2 : likely to bring misfortune : inauspicious an unlucky number
3 : having or meeting with misfortune unlucky people
4 : producing dissatisfaction : regrettable

unluckiness

play \ˌən-ˈlə-kē-nəs\ noun

See unlucky defined for English-language learners

See unlucky defined for kids

Examples of unlucky in a Sentence

She was unlucky enough to get a flat tire on the way to her job interview.
Some people think that 13 is an unlucky number.
He thinks it's unlucky to have a black cat cross your path.

Recent Examples of unlucky from the Web

Gendry and Arya Stark: The Stark girls have, throughout this series, been unlucky in love.

— vanityfair.com, "Game of Thrones: Ranking the 25 Most Anticipated Reunions of Season 7," 16 July 2017
Gendry and Arya Stark: The Stark girls have, throughout this series, been unlucky in love.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones: Ranking the 25 Most Anticipated Reunions of Season 7," 16 July 2017
Things would be ideal if all these people around her weren’t meeting untimely deaths in unlucky circumstances.

— katie walsh, Detroit Free Press, "Review: Horror tale ‘Wish Upon’ is inadvertently funny," 12 July 2017
Six hundred years ago, an unlucky knight may have fallen into or lost his sword in a bog filled with peat.

— National Geographic, "Medieval Sword Pulled From Polish Bog," 22 June 2017
Two Iredell County men were among the unlucky bystanders caught up in that Myrtle Beach melee that was broadcast on Facebook Live Sunday.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "2 Iredell men were carjacked in that Myrtle Beach melee broadcast on Facebook," 22 June 2017
Nine months of unwanted pain and possibly death is not an acceptable punishment for being unlucky while engaging in an almost universally practiced past time.

— jennifer wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why A Pro-Life World Has A Lot of Dead Women In It," 19 June 2017
Kumail Nanjiani may be best known for playing the acerbic, unlucky-in-love computer programmer Dinesh on HBO’s Silicon Valley, but the actor, writer, and comedian has always been a rom-com nut at heart.

— julie miller, VanityFair.com, "Everything You Could Ever Want to Know About Kumail Nanjiani, Silicon Valley and Now, Rom-Com Star," 19 June 2017
Kumail Nanjiani may be best known for playing the acerbic, unlucky-in-love computer programmer Dinesh on HBO’s Silicon Valley, but the actor, writer, and comedian has always been a rom-com nut at heart.

— vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, "Everything You Could Ever Want to Know About Kumail Nanjiani, Silicon Valley and Now, Rom-Com Star," 16 June 2017

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

First Known Use of unlucky

1530

UNLUCKY Defined for English Language Learners

unlucky

play

adjective

Definition of unlucky for English Language Learners

: having bad luck
: causing bad luck
: resulting from bad luck

UNLUCKY Defined for Kids

unlucky

play

adjective un·lucky \ˌən-ˈlə-kē\

Definition of unlucky for Students

unluckier

;

unluckiest

1 : not fortunate : having bad luck He's been unlucky in love.
2 : marked by bad luck or failure an unlucky day
3 : likely to bring misfortune Are black cats really unlucky?
4 : causing distress or regret … she couldn't ignore the throbbing soreness in her thumb where the thorn had left its unlucky mark. — Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising