ˌən-ˈfȯrch-nət
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
an unfortunate chain of events destroyed the business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unhappy
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
up to that point in her life she had been unfortunate in love
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
an unfortunate choice of words that would later prove to be embarrassing for the talk show host
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unfortunate
In unfortunate irony for the Kings, Westbrook scored a basket on the play, which pushed him past Oscar Robertson (26,710) as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer at the point guard position.
—
Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Greg McElroy had an unfortunate slip of the tongue during his College Football Playoff broadcast Thursday night.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
That's an unfortunate way to end the year.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
The strong low pressure system is approaching with unfortunate timing, just as some of the highest astronomical tides of the year arrive along the Pacific Coast through the weekend.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfortunate
Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Greg McElroy had an unfortunate slip of the tongue during his College Football Playoff broadcast Thursday night.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
That's an unfortunate way to end the year.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
The strong low pressure system is approaching with unfortunate timing, just as some of the highest astronomical tides of the year arrive along the Pacific Coast through the weekend.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfortunate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfortunate
Adjective
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The Chargers’ $262 million man fell to 0-3 in the playoffs, each of those defeats distinctly disastrous.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
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Purdy, rendered ineffective by a torn ligament in his right elbow on the opening drive against the Eagles in a disastrous NFC title game loss three seasons ago, completed all three passes for 74 yards and capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson.—
Dan Gelston,
Twin Cities,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
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The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Liam Rappleye,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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There was too much grief becoming a sudden widow, too much loneliness raising an infant born less than five months before his father's tragic death.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
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Even in her long, tragic exile, her roots were in Russia and the great tradition of Russian poetry.—
Diana Arterian,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The death toll on Sacramento's roads has now reached double digits this year, with a fatal crash happening along Interstate 5 on Monday.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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The aftermath of the fatal shooting also saw at least six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resign amid pressure to investigate Good's wife, multiple news outlets reported, and drop any probe into the agent who shot and killed the mother of three.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The danger posed by such diseases was exemplified by COVID-19, which jumped from bats to humans to catastrophic effect.—
Tom Hawking,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
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At that meeting, more than 190 nations agreed to the target to minimize the growing risks of catastrophic storms, droughts, wildfires, and species extinction.—
Harry Stevens,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfortunate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfortunate. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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