unlucky

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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

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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

But without, a series of catastrophic series of unlucky events in her life — homelessness, losing a job, being diagnosed with cancer — would surely have broken her.

— glenn garvin, miamiherald, "These immigrants live in fear. Leaders sympathize, but say there’s little they can do," 24 Aug. 2017
Both Messi and Suarez failed to score, as the goals came courtesy of Sergi Roberto and Betis's Alin Tosca, who scored an unlucky own goal.

— marissa payne, chicagotribune.com, "Hackers take over Barcelona's Twitter account to announce fake signing of Angel di Maria," 23 Aug. 2017
Yet over the last 30 years, entrepreneurial talent has focused far more on delivering new tools for the skilled than on employment for the unlucky.

— edward l. glaeser, National Review, "The War on Work — and How to End It," 1 Aug. 2017
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
The ancient Romans bathed in crocodile feces to stay youthful, and some unlucky Victorian-era women applied mercury directly to their faces to eliminate (corrode) wrinkles and blemishes.

— dr. manny alvarez, Fox News, "Liquid collagen: Is it the 'fountain of youth'?," 6 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

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 Synonyms

Synonyms

hapless, hard-luck, ill-fated, ill-starred, jinxed, luckless, snakebit (or snakebitten), star-crossed, unfortunate, unhappy

Antonyms

fortunate, happy, lucky

Related Words

adverse, ill, inauspicious, unfavorable, unpromising, untoward; calamitous, catastrophic, disastrous; accursed (or accurst), damned, doomed, tragic (also tragical)

Near Antonyms

blessed (also blest), favored, gifted, privileged; auspicious, fair, favorable, golden, promising, propitious

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

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unluckily

\-ˈlək-ə-lē\ adverb

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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

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unlucky

Definition of unlucky

unluckiness

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Examples of unlucky in a Sentence

Recent Examples of unlucky from the Web

First Known Use of unlucky

unlucky Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

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UNLUCKY Defined for English Language Learners

unlucky

Definition of unlucky for English Language Learners

UNLUCKY Defined for Kids

unlucky

Definition of unlucky for Students

unluckily

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