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
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, which retells the story of the glamorous and ill-fated relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, finally reached the couple’s infamous public fight (which some sources report was at Washington Square Park or Central Park, and the show set at Battery Park).
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 6 Mar. 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
Jeffrey, a divorced former Army Ranger, embarks on a sudden and inevitably ill-fated life of crime to help provide for his kids.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 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
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
Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The series, which retells the story of the glamorous and ill-fated relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, finally reached the couple’s infamous public fight (which some sources report was at Washington Square Park or Central Park, and the show set at Battery Park).
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 6 Mar. 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
Jeffrey, a divorced former Army Ranger, embarks on a sudden and inevitably ill-fated life of crime to help provide for his kids.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-fated
Adjective
-
However, Cincinnati and Washington have been done in by unfortunate injuries and organizational disorder.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
The unfortunate problem is that, like most other things, the system can be gamed—people could submit flawed content that lists people as authors who have never been involved.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
With the Mets taking a 2-1 lead, Rodón, clearly unhappy, appeared to curse at himself as Austin Wells patted him on the shoulder.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2026
-
Janet reportedly attended an early private screening of the rough cut of the film and walked away pretty unhappy.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Stearns had nothing to do with any of them — and everything to do with the disastrous offseason that made the Mets the worst team in baseball for most of April.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
-
Based on a script by Justin Varava that made the 2024 Black List, Turpentine follows a deadbeat son who hires friends to rob his own parents to pay off a bookie, with disastrous results.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rooting for a hapless team for nearly two decades teaches you to find pleasures beyond victory.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
-
Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Vasyanovych plays Roman, a luckless director who’s out of work and trying to shoot his latest film in a country whose dwindling population is still traumatized by the war.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ill-fated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-fated. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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