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
Explore Merriam-Webster
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
-
As Samantha Schmidt reports for the Washington Post, a lonely garden snail named Jeremy has been consistently unlucky in love.
-
For anyone unlucky enough to brush against one, shark skin is also extremely abrasive.
-
Now their modern descendants, the cobweb spiders, dangle sticky threads below, wait until insects walk by and get snagged, and reel their unlucky victims in.
-
Occasionally, an unlucky cicada would hit the windshield of a car speeding down the highway.
-
When an unlucky passenger was violently dragged off a full United Airlines flight in Chicago in April, setting off a public-relations nightmare for the company, the blame naturally fell on the cabin crew, police and eventually airline executives.
-
Still, the Timbers had opportunities to find the equalizer and were unlucky not to end up with at least one penalty kick in the second half.
-
Maybe someone should do a study: Is No. 1 really unlucky or is that a contestant’s myth?
-
Incompetent and unlucky home-brewers rejoice: Australians, confounded by the inexplicable failure of batch after batch of bathwater and bread yeast to yield tasteful beer, decided to automate the process with the Beer Machine 2000.
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.
1530
First Known Use of unlucky
1530
UNLUCKY Defined for English Language Learners
unlucky
playDefinition of unlucky for English Language Learners
-
: having bad luck
-
: causing bad luck
-
: resulting from bad luck
UNLUCKY Defined for Kids
unlucky
playDefinition 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
unluckily
\-ˈlək-ə-lē\ adverbLearn More about unlucky
-
See words that rhyme with unlucky Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unlucky Spanish Central: Translation of unlucky Nglish: Translation of unlucky for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of unlucky for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up unlucky? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!