hard-luck

adjective

ˈhärd-ˌlək How to pronounce hard-luck (audio)
Definition of hard-lucknext
as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck a hard-luck ball club that never could get the breaks it needed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hard-luck Lauridsen, a junior right-hander, has been a hard-luck pitcher this season. — Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 5 May 2026 There’s some dark subject matter, and some hard-luck people on the fringes. — New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 For Coronado, the hard-luck loser was freshman Quinn Smock, who pitched six innings, allowed one unearned run on three hits and struck out seven. — Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 But nothing will change the chance that he was denied to celebrate with Team USA in the 2026 Olympics, or the parallels to one of the most famous hard-luck cases in sports history, Ralph Cox. — Mac Engel april 21, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hard-luck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-luck
  1. unfortunate
  2. unhappy
  3. luckless
  4. hapless
  5. disastrous
Adjective
  • But Michael Pentecost, a Royse City resident who was not at the swimming pool, called the situation unfortunate.
    — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This unfortunate incident significantly complicates FC Barcelona's squad planning.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Some Democratic board members noted that voters unhappy with Lukas’ performance can express their dissatisfaction in the 2028 election.
    — Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • When the motorcycle crew was unhappy with the drugs, Hinman and Beausoleil got into a confrontation.
    — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • This year, the final was between Kerry, historically the sport’s most successful side, and Mayo, one of Ireland’s smaller counties by population and, in football terms, the most luckless.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • The one in which his tiny team of negotiators surrendered to the radicals ruling that luckless nation.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026
Definition of luckless
Adjective
  • Most glaring is the disparity between the top-tier clinical protocols and the logistics, which are more hapless than flawless.
    — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Despite Sarah’s flapping her cardigan in the air like a hungover color-guard girl at a homecoming parade, the hapless Irish naval men sent to save her remained beyond the bobbing waves.
    — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of hapless
Adjective
  • Boone didn’t get to watch the disastrous half-inning from the dugout, as he was ejected in the top of the sixth.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Despite so many past failures, Washington’s foreign policy debates are frequently still dominated by aging officials who made disastrous choices.
    — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of disastrous

Browse Nearby Words

hard-line
hard-luck
hardly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hard-luck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-luck. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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