as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
the ill-fated trip ended in disaster for all
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Recent Examples of ill-fated
That plan proved ill-fated, however, when he got caught trying to bribe a city official.
—
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 30 July 2025
Before his turn as the sweet but ill-fated Wallace, Michael B. Jordan's few credits included a minor role in the 2001 Keanu Reeves film Hardball.
—Derek Lawrence, EW.com, 29 July 2025
The move to LoHi ended up being ill-fated, according to Nuñez, because the restaurant lost its identity.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 28 May 2025
Despite the trailblazing accomplishment, Walters’ co-anchor role was ill-fated, and the evening news was overhauled in 1978 into World News Tonight.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 12 May 2025
But efforts from Chinese firms to gain a physical foothold in Greenland or access its raw materials have been ill-fated.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 May 2025
And each event remains converged at a crossroads — albeit not the ultimately all-too-hasty, vague and ill-fated East Crossroads stadium district proposal Jackson County voters rebuked a year ago this month.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2025
This quickly proves to be ill-fated when Red Feather and his men kill the scouts in a surprise attack, leaving only one survivor who later points them in Red Feather’s direction.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 30 July 2025
Before his turn as the sweet but ill-fated Wallace, Michael B. Jordan's few credits included a minor role in the 2001 Keanu Reeves film Hardball.
—Derek Lawrence, EW.com, 29 July 2025
The move to LoHi ended up being ill-fated, according to Nuñez, because the restaurant lost its identity.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 28 May 2025
Despite the trailblazing accomplishment, Walters’ co-anchor role was ill-fated, and the evening news was overhauled in 1978 into World News Tonight.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 12 May 2025
But efforts from Chinese firms to gain a physical foothold in Greenland or access its raw materials have been ill-fated.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 May 2025
And each event remains converged at a crossroads — albeit not the ultimately all-too-hasty, vague and ill-fated East Crossroads stadium district proposal Jackson County voters rebuked a year ago this month.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2025
This quickly proves to be ill-fated when Red Feather and his men kill the scouts in a surprise attack, leaving only one survivor who later points them in Red Feather’s direction.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-fated
Adjective
-
This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
This latest ‘oopsie’ also fits an unfortunate pattern.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Both Ways on Netflix The Lovebirds In the 2020 adventure comedy The Lovebirds, Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani play an unhappy couple on the brink of splitting up.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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But surveys have also shown many reservists are unhappy with the cabinet's plans, some openly accusing the government of lacking a cohesive strategy, a post-war plan for Gaza or a clear benchmark for victory.—
Emily Rose,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Schools’ failure to follow IEPs has resulted in disastrous cases of educational neglect for students like Makenley and Maddox O’Connor.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The New York Jets sent that message to Rodgers following a disastrous two-year term.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ill-fated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-fated. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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