as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
a hard-luck ball club that never could get the breaks it needed
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Recent Examples of hard-luck
May departed with the Dodgers trailing 1-0 and was initially in line to be the hard-luck loser of a pitchers’ duel with Burnes, but Hernandez changed that with one swing.
—
Kyle Glaser, Oc Register, 22 May 2025
Ava Goodman was the hard-luck loser for West Hills (8-4-1).
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Pattinson plays Mickey Barnes, a hard-luck guy who has a job that kills him over and over again, getting printed out again after every death.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
Whether meeting a bad fate while trying to fix the ship or dying several times in vaccine trials (RIP Mickeys 12 to 16) our hard-luck main man navigates it all while being held in contempt by everyone around him besides his steely girlfriend Nasha (Naomi Ackie).
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
While Michigan State is overwhelmingly likely to clinch the conference regular season title (the Spartans host Penn State this weekend), a sweep by either Ohio State or Minnesota this weekend would wrap up second place, and the right to host hard-luck Notre Dame in round one.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 20 Feb. 2025
While the Chiefs have been consistently strong, with some remarkable good fortune this season and continued horseshoe following them, the Bills have suffered some severe hard-luck losses including to the Chiefs in the recent playoff years.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
And after a hard-luck start to his career, Bateman getting in the end zone has become the ultimate good omen for the Ravens, who will face the Buffalo Bills Sunday night at Highmark Stadium in the AFC divisional round.
—Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Ole Miss finished a hard-luck 5-6 with its final five losses coming by one score.
—Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Kyle Glaser, Oc Register, 22 May 2025
Ava Goodman was the hard-luck loser for West Hills (8-4-1).
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Pattinson plays Mickey Barnes, a hard-luck guy who has a job that kills him over and over again, getting printed out again after every death.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
Whether meeting a bad fate while trying to fix the ship or dying several times in vaccine trials (RIP Mickeys 12 to 16) our hard-luck main man navigates it all while being held in contempt by everyone around him besides his steely girlfriend Nasha (Naomi Ackie).
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
While Michigan State is overwhelmingly likely to clinch the conference regular season title (the Spartans host Penn State this weekend), a sweep by either Ohio State or Minnesota this weekend would wrap up second place, and the right to host hard-luck Notre Dame in round one.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 20 Feb. 2025
While the Chiefs have been consistently strong, with some remarkable good fortune this season and continued horseshoe following them, the Bills have suffered some severe hard-luck losses including to the Chiefs in the recent playoff years.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
And after a hard-luck start to his career, Bateman getting in the end zone has become the ultimate good omen for the Ravens, who will face the Buffalo Bills Sunday night at Highmark Stadium in the AFC divisional round.
—Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Ole Miss finished a hard-luck 5-6 with its final five losses coming by one score.
—Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-luck
Adjective
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The polished old pro bent time and space, keeping the unfortunate new work to a minimum and running through his hits, reliving, nearly chronologically, the thrill of experiencing his catalog all over again at a speed run.—
Abe Beame,
Rolling Stone,
7 June 2025
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An unfortunate series of events in the eighth inning led to the Brewers going up 3-1.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, the more fiscally conservative Senate is increasingly unhappy with the cost of the bill, which is estimated to add $3.1 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Trump is unhappy with Musk’s outburst, but Republicans are downplaying the effect on their agenda bill Trump confirmed their relationship has soured, with Musk repeatedly blasting the president’s sweeping domestic agenda bill in recent days and a public fight on social media on Thursday.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Though mean-spirited, the jester Rigoletto — Verdi’s hapless, vengeful hunchback — wins our hearts as the outsider whom a heartless world so often abuses.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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Only one team, the hapless Rockies, is averaging fewer runs per game than the Royals.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-luck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-luck. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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