as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
a hard-luck ball club that never could get the breaks it needed
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 hard-luck
While the Chiefs have been consistently strong, with some remarkable good fortune this season and continued horseshoe following them, the Bills have suffered some severe hard-luck losses including to the Chiefs in the recent playoff years.
—
Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
And after a hard-luck start to his career, Bateman getting in the end zone has become the ultimate good omen for the Ravens, who will face the Buffalo Bills Sunday night at Highmark Stadium in the AFC divisional round.
—Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Ole Miss finished a hard-luck 5-6 with its final five losses coming by one score.
—Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
The redshirt freshman stayed away from a stomach bug that plagued the rest of the position group just weeks before the season, which proved to be an ominous sign of things to come for perhaps the most hard-luck unit in the College Football Playoff.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
The aftermath: Fister, a hard-luck 12-30 for Seattle, went 32-20 for the Tigers with a 2.98 postseason ERA.
—Tyler Kepner, The Athletic, 26 July 2024
Ticketed, booted, towed — there are a million hard-luck parking enforcement stories in the naked city.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
His latest album, 2023’s Twenty on High, is a revelatory collection of hard-luck stories and working-class resilience.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2024
The rise from an impoverished, dysfunctional upbringing in hard-luck Appalachia to Yale Law School and the U.S. Senate is truly the stuff of political myth-making.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
And after a hard-luck start to his career, Bateman getting in the end zone has become the ultimate good omen for the Ravens, who will face the Buffalo Bills Sunday night at Highmark Stadium in the AFC divisional round.
—Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Ole Miss finished a hard-luck 5-6 with its final five losses coming by one score.
—Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
The redshirt freshman stayed away from a stomach bug that plagued the rest of the position group just weeks before the season, which proved to be an ominous sign of things to come for perhaps the most hard-luck unit in the College Football Playoff.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
The aftermath: Fister, a hard-luck 12-30 for Seattle, went 32-20 for the Tigers with a 2.98 postseason ERA.
—Tyler Kepner, The Athletic, 26 July 2024
Ticketed, booted, towed — there are a million hard-luck parking enforcement stories in the naked city.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
His latest album, 2023’s Twenty on High, is a revelatory collection of hard-luck stories and working-class resilience.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2024
The rise from an impoverished, dysfunctional upbringing in hard-luck Appalachia to Yale Law School and the U.S. Senate is truly the stuff of political myth-making.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-luck
Adjective
-
There is an unfortunate flipside, though: Bond Could Receive Questionable Franchise Extensions That’s been the fear since Amazon acquired MGM in 2020.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
21 Feb. 2025
-
But over the last few weeks, bagel eaters around the city have been confronted with some unfortunate news: Signs are plastered across shop counters stating a $1.25 additional surcharge for any bagel sandwiches featuring eggs.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Many previous Trump advisers, including Mr. Bolton, have tried to contain Mr. Trump, with unhappy results.—
Michael Crowley,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Thus, Amazon knows there won't be a raft of unhappy customers complaining about losing their apps.—
Ryan Whitwam,
Ars Technica,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
In the first, the scrappy Italian American reporter Nick falls for Andy, the earnest, hapless son of a press mogul.—
Olivia Waite,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Reliable comedic turns from Rick Hoffman's hapless Louis and Sarah Rafferty's fierce Donna brought a lightness to the show and rounded out the ensemble.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
23 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-luck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-luck. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share