LUCKLESS Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

luckless

adjective

Definition of luckless

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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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 luckless Best of all is his biggest adversary, Sonny Liston, whose luckless early years spoil a tender soul Joseph keenly brings to light. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2026 During these walking meditations my notebook starts to feel suspiciously similar to the luckless young climber’s selfie camera. — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026 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 Any one of those locations could have allowed the heat of reentry to burn through the aluminum alloy walls of the spacecraft, killing any luckless crew that may have been inside, in much the kind of reentry breakup that doomed the shuttle Columbia and its seven-person crew in 2003. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Apr. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for luckless

Adjective

Before that, the Broncos were a major beneficiary of an unfortunate series of events in the third quarter.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Nov. 2026
As the state no longer holds a monopoly on the tools—nor the data—used to keep us safe, an opaque gap between the private and public sectors has opened where unfortunate, and even tragic, events can transpire.

— David Niccolini, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of unfortunate

Adjective

Instead of forcing plot onto his amorously hapless characters, Shaw explores leitmotifs in a playful, contrapuntal fashion.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
The surprising loss to the Commanders was followed by a win over the hapless LA Chargers, then two frustrating losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos in overtime.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of hapless

Adjective

But Halloween excess, with its pillowcases full of candy, elaborate costumes for everyone from babies to adults to dogs (and a few unlucky cats), could not be more American.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
Still, the dynamic pricing could be a double-whammy for some unlucky customers.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of unlucky

Adjective

The song is a tale of a small town drying up as businessmen buy up all the land, and Supernaw — with his distinctive twang — sang it as a hard-luck ballad.

— Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026
And, of course, there won’t be many people who want to defend someone in that position — or, indeed, listen to any hard-luck stories — now the details have been outlined in court about his motorway rampage.

— Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026