unfortunate

adjective

ˌən-ˈfȯrch-nət
Definition of unfortunatenext
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune an unfortunate chain of events destroyed the business

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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

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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

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 unfortunate The disruption came down to an unfortunate overlap of two technical failures. — Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026 But those who get too close risk far more than a soaking, as Niagara is a graveyard for the reckless, the unfortunate and the desperate. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026 On its own merits, Fudd had a good rookie year that had an unfortunate turn. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026 The losers would include the families of passengers who were uninsured, those of trespassers who were careless (or suicidal), and, equally tragically, those of unfortunate railway employees killed in the course of their employment. — Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfortunate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfortunate
  1. disastrous
  2. unhappy
  3. tragic
  4. fatal
  5. catastrophic
Adjective
  • The designer had felt the atmosphere shift after her disastrous outdoor cruise collection in Marseille in May 2024, which was marred by a mini-storm.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • European leaders and oil executives at the time said that such a ban would be disastrous for long-term oil flow.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • Premiering in 2004 on Fox, The Swan cast women who self-reported as unhappy about their appearances in a grueling competition to see who could pull off the most profound physical transformation.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2026
  • More Florida customers dissatisfied Count Brandon Reich among Florida’s unhappy property insurance customers.
    — Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • Singer discussed their tragic loss in the wake of news that Jamie Lee Curtis will be honored by the inaugural Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Tor is a remote mountain community where tragic events took place that remain unsolved to this day.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of tragic
Adjective
  • Independent media outlets like Baikal People reported that the fatal chain of events began on September 25.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Chicago Alderman Michelle Harris said at Sunday's community vigil that the suspect had allegedly gotten into an altercation with staff at a wireless store in the Chatham neighborhood just before the fatal stabbing, WLS reported.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • Refining these predictive models will also improve safety for reentry vehicles and high-speed aircraft, ultimately minimizing or eliminating catastrophic water damage.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
  • If that wasn’t bad enough, the dead satellites would start crashing into things, creating cascades of high-speed debris that could destroy most remaining satellites in a catastrophic domino effect called Kessler syndrome.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of catastrophic

Browse Nearby Words

unforthcoming
unfortunate
unfortunately
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unfortunate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfortunate. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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