as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
a luckless team with the worst record in the league
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Recent Examples of luckless
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
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luckless
Adjective
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Mikey never ended up doing anything beyond flirting, but his unfortunate turn of phrase was all Sydney needed to begin exploring her options in the villa.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The Charlotte Hornets received an unfortunate reminder Friday night in their last home game of the regular season.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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As society gal Rose DeWitt Bukater, Melissa Barrera has freewheeling fun with Kate Winslett’s unhappy bride-to-be character.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
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People on my block were unhappy, and block association president was unhappy.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But even without three rotation players, the Heat made quick work of the hapless Wizards, opening a 34-23 lead after a quarter and a 72-52 lead at the half.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
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Almost all of the show’s original stars have returned, including Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, Jane Kaczmarek as his mom Lois, and Bryan Cranston as Malcolm’s hapless dad Hal.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Sure, after the Epstein scandal and that disastrous interview, Andrew was forced to step down as working royal.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
12 Apr. 2026
-
McIlroy led by six strokes after 36 holes but entered Sunday tied for first after a disastrous third round.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The number 13 is unlucky for some, but powerful to others.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Apr. 2026
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From fire irons to swords, guns to clothes airers, Nesbø — who wrote the screenplay himself — finds a myriad ways to dispatch his unlucky victims, a significant number of whom also lose limbs before bleeding out.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Alex Wang was the hard-luck loser for Cistercian (3-13, 0-6) going 7 innings scattering 3 hits with an unearned run, 2 strikeouts and one walk.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
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Every small room sans closet in New York City requires a stand-alone alternative for surviving a hard-luck storage situation, and even ample hallways can benefit from a dignified wardrobe cabinet as a way to punctuate large spaces.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Luckless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luckless. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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