as in tragedy
bad luck or an example of this
through sheer misfortune our car got a flat tire and we were late for the ceremony our misfortunes of the last year included the loss of a beloved pet
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Recent Examples of misfortune
Korean shamans, or mu-dang, act as a bridge between the spirit world and the mortal world, and use this ability to help clients with a diverse scope of needs, including healing, protection, solving specific problems, or more generally for bringing good fortune or avoiding misfortune.
—
Kayti Burt, Time, 24 Apr. 2026
The latter faces more corruption up front, but both protagonists deal with their fair share of misfortune, growing up all too fast as a result.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026
The Philadelphia singer-songwriter seeks out the mystical potential of quotidian misfortunes in a set of psychedelic-of-center bedroom pop songs.
—Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 8 Apr. 2026
Throughout, by the fickle winds of scientific misfortune, mother and son remained waiting — until about two and a half years ago.
—Jason Mast, STAT, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misfortune
Kayti Burt, Time, 24 Apr. 2026
The latter faces more corruption up front, but both protagonists deal with their fair share of misfortune, growing up all too fast as a result.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026
The Philadelphia singer-songwriter seeks out the mystical potential of quotidian misfortunes in a set of psychedelic-of-center bedroom pop songs.
—Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 8 Apr. 2026
Throughout, by the fickle winds of scientific misfortune, mother and son remained waiting — until about two and a half years ago.
—Jason Mast, STAT, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misfortune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfortune
Noun
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The Paramount+ drama series follows a New York family that relocates to rural Montana after a family tragedy.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
21 May 2026
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That’s not to minimize the tragedies of the early 737 Max crashes, but to acknowledge that Boeing, airlines, and regulators took those events seriously and addressed the problems.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Noun
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The project comes on the heels of filmmaker Nina Lee and Will Packer discussing the rarity of You, Me & Tuscany alongside the hardships and hurdles that Black romance films must overcome in the industry from conception to funding to box office.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
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Traditional debt forgiveness programs, for example, are often designed for borrowers experiencing serious financial hardship who are already significantly delinquent on multiple accounts.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Noun
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The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
14 May 2026
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There are fun bad teams, or teams that at least make a unique bonding experience out of their specific type of misery.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfortune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfortune. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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