ill-fated

adjective

ˈil-ˈfā-təd How to pronounce ill-fated (audio)
Definition of ill-fatednext
as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck the ill-fated trip ended in disaster for all

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 ill-fated So, where will Season 2 take us, Mayor Tom Loftis, and the rest of this wonderfully funny and spectacularly ill-fated island community? — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 11 June 2026 What the Pentagon Papers revealed is that the American government had reason to know all along that the venture was ill-fated. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 The series then retreats to 2019 to trace the circumstances that led to these killings, building toward the inevitability of Maggie and Paul’s death and filtering the whole family through a lens of catastrophe, where every member is either ill-fated or devious. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025 That plan proved ill-fated, however, when he got caught trying to bribe a city official. — Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 30 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for ill-fated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-fated
  1. unfortunate
  2. unhappy
  3. disastrous
  4. hapless
  5. luckless
Adjective
  • There are no Cubs players involved in the TikTok series, the Cubs told me, which is unfortunate since Crow-Armstrong has acting in his DNA — his mother and father are both actors — and probably would be at least as good as Damon.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Every mosquito has a type Count me among the unfortunate souls who are mosquito magnets; something about my body chemistry is irresistible to those tiny bloodsucking fiends.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Garcia and fellow Democrats are mindful of what’s driving unhappy voters who face a vexing mix of inflation and weak economic growth.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes kids performing things on TV look unhappy or awkward, but this girl seems to genuinely enjoy singing while her dad plays guitar.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • Arjun Poudel, a health reporter in Nepal, was commuting to the offices of the Kathmandu Post, in the country’s capital, when messages started coming in about a disastrous flood in his home town, close to the border with China.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Since a disastrous debut, the rookie right-hander has allowed just two runs over his last 9 2/3 innings with 15 strikeouts.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • This goes all kinds of wrong, setting off a viral brouhaha and turning the hapless Owen into an unwitting pariah.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • His siblings were aghast to see Ralph depicted as the hapless poor dad in the book.
    — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of hapless
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

Browse Nearby Words

illegitimate
ill-fated
ill-favored
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ill-fated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-fated. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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