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misfortunate

misfortunate

1 7.1
Unlucky and in need of help
  • adjective
  • /ˌmɪsˈfɔːrtʃənɪt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : desafortunado
  • But her road to success is one of the most devastatingly misfortunate, tragic, heartbreaking roads I think we've ever heard travelled on this podcast.

But her road to success is one of the most devastatingly misfortunate, tragic, heartbreaking roads I think we've ever heard travelled on this podcast.

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Examples

  • And once again, it's not because people have been misfortunate enough to use their hard drives.

  • Misfortunate nursemaid to ugly fish.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Party not reaching Er-Heb for very misfortunate reasons.

  • Hate is a form of insanity and blurs the vision that so many Americans today have a blurred view regarding "45? is misfortunate.

    Blog text (3)
  • What he has just proposed isn't worse than Anthony Wiener's (just such a misfortunate name) indiscretion, personal and private at that.

    Blog text (5)
  • But the part of A Series of Unfortunate Events that will stick with me most is the thematic progression, as Handler realized several times mid-series that he needed to jolt to something deeper and more resonant than the downward spiral of misfortunate orphans.

    Blog text (8)
  • She was a misfortunate woman who lost everything in the flood.

  • The misfortunate event left him without a home or support.

  • His misfortunate choices led to a series of unfortunate incidents.

Synonyms

poor
vsmisfortunate
1.0

Needing pity because they are hurt, sad, or unlucky

focuses more on having bad luck rather than only hardship causes
pathetic
vsmisfortunate
  • Offensive
702 3.9

Very weak or sad in a way that makes people feel pity and dislike

is about bad luck or misfortune without the contempt element
miserable
vsmisfortunate
443 1.8

Feeling very unhappy or suffering a lot

can be caused by bad luck but primarily names the suffering itself
unlucky
vsmisfortunate
91 1.0

Having bad luck that causes problems

is similar but adds a sense of being deserving of pity
pitiful
vsmisfortunate
30 3.2

Making people feel sorry and want to help because of suffering or weakness

has the same pity element but also stresses unlucky circumstances
hapless
vsmisfortunate
26 7.2

Unlucky in a way that makes people feel sorry

focuses more on misfortune generally rather than pity alone
ill-fated
vsmisfortunate
19 6.1

Likely to have very bad luck and end badly

covers the same fate but adds being deserving of compassion
wretched
vsmisfortunate
16 5.7

Extremely unhappy and suffering a lot

is similar in emotional pain but also implies unlucky circumstances
down on one's luck
vsmisfortunate
7 6.7

Having bad luck, often with money

is broader, meaning general misfortune and deserving of sympathy
pitiable
vsmisfortunate
7 6.1

Making people feel sorry for someone or something

is instead about having bad luck, not only about arousing pity
piteous
vsmisfortunate
  • Literature
3 7.9

Making people feel sorry because someone is suffering

is similar emotionally but also highlights being unlucky
luckless
vsmisfortunate
2 5.3

A person who has many bad things happen to them

stresses the same misfortune while also implying sympathy is due
jinxed
vsmisfortunate
  • Informal
2 7.9

Having a lot of bad luck that causes many problems

is similar but emphasizes real misfortune and the need for pity
cursed
vsmisfortunate
  • Literature
1 5.3

Having bad luck because of a magic spell, sometimes used to show anger or strong feeling

relates to unlucky circumstances while also suggesting pity
ill-starred
vsmisfortunate
  • Literature
1 9.0

Likely to have bad luck and end badly

shares destined badness but also suggests the need for pity

Antonyms

1.0

Having good things happen by chance

296 1.8

Being lucky in a situation

How Lucky

blessed
2.3
lucky
1.0
fortunate
296 1.8
misfortunate
  • Archaic
1 7.1
unlucky
91 1.0
ill-fated
19 6.1

Surface Forms

misfortunate positive

Morphology

misfortunate = fortunate (transparent) = mis + fortunate

Formed by the negative/prefixed use of 'mis-' on the adjective 'fortunate', yielding the straightforward meaning 'not fortunate' or 'unlucky'.

Etymology

Misfortunate comes from mis- which means 'bad' or 'wrong' and fortunate, from fortune, which means 'luck'. Think of mistake for the mis- part and fortune for lucky events, so misfortunate means 'unlucky' or 'having bad luck'.