unlucky
adjective
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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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Other words from unlucky
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noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for unlucky
Synonyms
hapless, hard-luck, ill-fated, ill-starred, jinxed, luckless, star-crossed, unfortunate, unhappy
Antonyms
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Examples of unlucky in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Whatever the origin, the belief that 13 is an unlucky number is far reaching, and very old. — Sarah Lyons, Teen Vogue, "How to Make Friday the 13th Good Luck Charms," 12 July 2018 Jameela, a Palestinian woman from Gaza, was the lucky one, and Muna, an Iraqi woman from Basra, was the unlucky one. — Marie Claire, "Charities & Volunteering," 17 Feb. 2010 While not all the fish survived, the unlucky ones died because of problems like predation between species, not because of issues with pressure. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "New Gadget Brings Fish Up From the Ocean’s “Twilight Zone”," 11 June 2018 Some are just unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. — John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, "Afraid of bears? There are far more dangerous things in the Alaska outdoors," 4 June 2018 Lucky for you — and unlucky for your credit card — there are tons of beauty sales arriving this week in honor of Independence Day. — Samantha Sasso, refinery29.com, "The 4th Of July Sales To Browse When It's Too Hot To Go Outside," 2 July 2018 However, in some cultures, the number 13 isn’t considered unlucky at all. — Sarah Lyons, Teen Vogue, "How to Make Friday the 13th Good Luck Charms," 12 July 2018 Having recently celebrated its 13th anniversary in downtown Delafield, Zin Uncommon California Italian has been everything but unlucky. — Geoff Bruce, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Zin Uncommon California Italian in Delafield was almost a Mexican restaurant," 11 July 2018 There have been some heartbreaks and unlucky draws, and playing Brazil today isn’t going to make things any easier. — Mark Faller, azcentral, "Live World Cup updates: Mexico vs. Brazil," 2 July 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for unlucky
unlucky
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of unlucky
: having bad luck
: causing bad luck
: resulting from bad luck
See the full definition for unlucky in the English Language Learners Dictionary
unlucky
adjective
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Kids Definition of unlucky
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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