misadventure

noun

mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmi-səd-ˈven-chər How to pronounce misadventure (audio)
Synonyms of misadventurenext
: misfortune, mishap

Synonyms of misadventure

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of misadventure in a Sentence

His vacation turned into a series of misadventures. a string of financial misadventures eventually left him broke
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Finlay's misadventures are also set to hit the screen. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026 Unfortunately, everything else in this misadventure, from annoying love interests to cloying sidekicks, is a minecart going off the rails. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 June 2026 The Stanwix Street barrier onto the eastbound lanes of the Parkway East is scarred with the misadventures of a number of drivers over time. — John Shumway, CBS News, 28 May 2026 Sumner’s uncivil words against Butler provided Brooks with the opportunity to make up for a lifetime of misadventures. — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for misadventure

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mesaventure, from Anglo-French, from mesavenir to turn out badly, from mes- mis- + avenir to happen, from Latin advenire — more at adventure

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misadventure was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing misadventure

Rhymes for misadventure

See All Rhymes for misadventure

Browse Nearby Words

misadministration
misadventure
misadventured
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misadventure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misadventure. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Legal Definition

misadventure

noun
mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmi-səd-ˈven-chər How to pronounce misadventure (audio)
: an accident that causes serious injury or death to a person and that does not involve negligence, wrongful purpose, or unlawful conduct

More from Merriam-Webster on misadventure

Nglish: Translation of misadventure for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All