unlucky

adjective

ˌən-ˈlə-kē How to pronounce unlucky (audio)
Definition of unluckynext
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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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 Hex marks the spot for sisters Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as unlucky-in-love witches. — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 24 June 2026 Microgastrinae adults lay their eggs inside unlucky caterpillars. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 June 2026 In footage featured on the FOX broadcast, an unlucky fan excitedly threw her hands in the air to take part in the wave, only for her cell phone to fly out of her hands and into the air. — Jaclyn Hendricks, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 Laurie Whitwell Were South Africa unlucky after defiant defensive display? — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unlucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlucky
  1. unfortunate
  2. tragic
  3. unhappy
  4. luckless
Adjective
  • For many women, painful periods are treated as an unfortunate but normal part of life.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • Instead, the meddling radiated corruption over due process of an unfortunate but longstanding rule that has remedies seldom invoked in the middle of the World Cup.
    — Vahe Gregorian July 7, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Anything tragic that happened to minorities was inevitable and necessary.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Titled ‘Forever 20′, it has been placed on 97 Avenue, close to the stadium’s Main Stand, on the eve of the first anniversary of their tragic passing in a car crash in Spain last July.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of tragic
Adjective
  • The decade was an unhappy panorama of inflation, gas shortages, military humiliation, and revelations of political corruption.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • On Tuesday, Paul urged Americans who are unhappy with the justices’ ruling to support his proposal.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • The one in which his tiny team of negotiators surrendered to the radicals ruling that luckless nation.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026
  • Any one of those locations could have allowed the heat of reentry to burn through the aluminum alloy walls of the spacecraft, killing any luckless crew that may have been inside, in much the kind of reentry breakup that doomed the shuttle Columbia and its seven-person crew in 2003.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Apr. 2026
Definition of luckless

Browse Nearby Words

unluckiness
unlucky
unlyrical
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Cite this Entry

“Unlucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlucky. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on unlucky

Nglish: Translation of unlucky for Spanish Speakers

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