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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 unlucky
As for the unlucky Rinaldeschi, his story has a curious coda.
—
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 31 July 2025
An unlucky seven live roaches rolled around the restaurant, and El Bayu went bust on the second inspection.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 25 July 2025
These unlucky birds in Arizona had stumbled into what’s commonly called a tar pit.
—Ian Rose, JSTOR Daily, 23 July 2025
However, things did eventually work out for the unlucky buyer.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlucky
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 31 July 2025
An unlucky seven live roaches rolled around the restaurant, and El Bayu went bust on the second inspection.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 25 July 2025
These unlucky birds in Arizona had stumbled into what’s commonly called a tar pit.
—Ian Rose, JSTOR Daily, 23 July 2025
However, things did eventually work out for the unlucky buyer.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlucky
Adjective
-
After the unfortunate withdrawal of U.S. Classic bars champion Myli Lew in podium training, the women’s bars title is even more up for grabs.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The fishermen were forced to abandon the Titan after a series of unfortunate events hit the ship.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
That year, millions of people all around the world consumed his work in incredible numbers following his sudden and tragic passing.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
In June of that year, the CDC began following this strange and tragic phenomenon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
As with almost any change, some residents were unhappy, mostly about being told to slow down.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
-
President Donald Trump was unhappy with July’s U.S. jobs report, which showed hiring slowing (with 73,000 jobs added, compared to 100,000 predicted) and revised past months’ numbers.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unlucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlucky. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share