1
as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
the unlucky campers had rain all week I'm so unlucky I don't bother to play the lottery an unlucky throw of the dice
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the settlers made the unlucky decision to cross the dangerous mountain pass in the middle of winter
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Recent Examples of unlucky
From fire irons to swords, guns to clothes airers, Nesbø — who wrote the screenplay himself — finds a myriad ways to dispatch his unlucky victims, a significant number of whom also lose limbs before bleeding out.
—
K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
That meant that the higher powers had the authority to enact a punishment on an unlucky criminal postmortem.
—Tara Ramanathan, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
Applicants who are unlucky in the caseworker they are assigned are less likely to provide all the relevant information, leading to a denial.
—Claudia Strauss, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Like a boxer playing rope-a-dope, the away side absorbed much of what Arsenal had to throw at them in the first half and were unlucky not to have provided their own sucker punch after Dwight McNeil had two excellent chances in quick succession.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlucky
K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
That meant that the higher powers had the authority to enact a punishment on an unlucky criminal postmortem.
—Tara Ramanathan, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
Applicants who are unlucky in the caseworker they are assigned are less likely to provide all the relevant information, leading to a denial.
—Claudia Strauss, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Like a boxer playing rope-a-dope, the away side absorbed much of what Arsenal had to throw at them in the first half and were unlucky not to have provided their own sucker punch after Dwight McNeil had two excellent chances in quick succession.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlucky
Adjective
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Mikey never ended up doing anything beyond flirting, but his unfortunate turn of phrase was all Sydney needed to begin exploring her options in the villa.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
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The Charlotte Hornets received an unfortunate reminder Friday night in their last home game of the regular season.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Twelve unique individuals recount their lives leading up to and during the tragic events of 9/11.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
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Trotter's tragic death came just months after his son, Giovanni, became cancer free in October, according to Daily Voice.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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As society gal Rose DeWitt Bukater, Melissa Barrera has freewheeling fun with Kate Winslett’s unhappy bride-to-be character.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
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People on my block were unhappy, and block association president was unhappy.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
Cite this Entry
“Unlucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlucky. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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