variants
or snakebitten
as in catastrophic
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
in retrospect, our assault on the mountain's summit seems to have been snakebit from the get-go
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 snakebit
The five women sent into the woods for the retreat come back late, drenched, bloody, snakebit and down one member — Alice has disappeared.
—
Marion Winik, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2023
To say the fourth-line center was snakebit is underselling it.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Nov. 2022
The Alabama running back tore his ACL against Ole Miss a year ago in what became a snakebit position.
—Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 25 Aug. 2022
But what has made this category of sites providing cryptocurrency and other services based on blockchain technology seem so snakebit?
—Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 12 Aug. 2022
The perpetually snakebit Jayhawks, who have a lengthy history of N.C.A.A. disappointments — including two years ago when they were ranked No. 1 in the country before the pandemic wiped out the tournament — put those regrets behind them.
—New York Times, 5 Apr. 2022
Dollar Man is one of the most snakebit films in Hollywood history.
—Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 4 Dec. 2019
Marion Winik, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2023
To say the fourth-line center was snakebit is underselling it.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Nov. 2022
The Alabama running back tore his ACL against Ole Miss a year ago in what became a snakebit position.
—Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 25 Aug. 2022
But what has made this category of sites providing cryptocurrency and other services based on blockchain technology seem so snakebit?
—Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 12 Aug. 2022
The perpetually snakebit Jayhawks, who have a lengthy history of N.C.A.A. disappointments — including two years ago when they were ranked No. 1 in the country before the pandemic wiped out the tournament — put those regrets behind them.
—New York Times, 5 Apr. 2022
Dollar Man is one of the most snakebit films in Hollywood history.
—Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 4 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snakebit
Adjective
-
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared that famine has taken hold in Gaza, affecting more than half a million people—with catastrophic food insecurity already underway.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
To make a mistake with the first year’s winnings is not catastrophic if the winner is going to receive another 25 years’ worth of payments.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
4 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
Adjective
-
But the scope and breadth of the subpoenas — which demand everything from text messages to bank statements to phone records — has a lot of folks scratching their heads, especially those unlucky enough to have been served one.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Cultural influences can play a role, too, and some numbers are considered lucky or unlucky in different traditions.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The offensive issues contributed to rookie Yankees starter Will Warren (6-5) suffering a hard-luck loss.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
13 July 2025
-
The offensive issues contributed to a hard-luck loss for rookie Yankees starter Will Warren, who surrendered a home run to the game’s first batter, Michael Busch, but was otherwise sharp.—
Peter Sblendorio,
Hartford Courant,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
Injuries are unfortunate, but shouldn’t be legally actionable outside of cases of true neglect.—
Carrie Lukas,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
No doubt my disdain for Labor Day has everything to do with its unfortunate spot on the calendar.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Passed over to his hapless son (Dacre Montgomery), our (anti-)hero wires a shotgun to his head and takes him hostage, claiming that the organization’s business maneuvers cheated him out of a substantial fortune.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Hawley waited until the start of the fifth season to lean all the way into the comparison, by borrowing the movie’s inciting incident where a Minnesota Nice housewife is kidnapped by two goons — one hapless, one relentless and seemingly mystical.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
2 Sep. 2025
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
Adjective
-
This fuzzy, snout-nosed, smart aleck extraterrestrial whose name was Gordon Shumway crashed in the suburban garage of the Tanner family in California after escaping from the doomed planet of Melmac, which was destroyed by nuclear war.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Two months ago, state workers’ fight to maintain their ability to work remotely seemed doomed.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snakebit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snakebit. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share