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
The 6-foot-7 forward hadn’t played more than 66 games in a season during his first three years in the NBA, often beset by nagging or unlucky injuries.
—
Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Here in the present, the Lakers realize their promising season has probably been sabotaged by unlucky injuries.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
The number 13 is unlucky for some, but powerful to others.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for unlucky
Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Here in the present, the Lakers realize their promising season has probably been sabotaged by unlucky injuries.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
The number 13 is unlucky for some, but powerful to others.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for unlucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlucky
Adjective
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But, yeah, that would be unfortunate.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
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In this unfortunate category, Amazon’s new feature for generating mini-podcast segments that shill for products on its shopping platform really takes the cake.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Bojorquez said Jones was a brave officer who had made a tragic mistake while rushing to the aid of victims.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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That’s especially true in the tragic murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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There were also rumblings that Banchero was unhappy with Mosley, which began as early as November and continued throughout the season.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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People are unhappy on a grand scale.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
3 May 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 8 May. 2026.
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